Wayward Hearts I: The Way We Were
by tinamonic
Summary: Discover what happens in the lives of the science club members during the last 2 years at BHH. PART 1 PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT PART 1 LEADS UP TO THE DRAMA IN PART 2! IT MAY BE SLOW AT FIRST BUT THERE'S DRAMA IN THIS PART ALSO! JV CM LOC. LATER ON VC
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Strange Days at Blake Holsey High nor do I own the lovely characters! I only own the plot. I just had to write another fic showing my utter dedication and love for the show! The creators of this show are pure geniuses!**

**A/N: Hello Guys! As promised, I posted my prologue to Wayward Hearts! This is a little teaser for you to get you wondering what is going to happen in this fic. Believe me, there is a lot! I need a part 2 to this to even finish this fic! Don't worry, I won't take too long to post my chapters. Thank you all for reading and reviewing my other fics! Read and enjoy! **

_**Prologue**_

"You guys used to be so close and inseparable…What happened?" Z asked as he eyed the science club with concern.

"Why don't you ask Vaughn and Corrine? They're the cause for all of this…they're the cause of everything bad that's happened over the past few months." Josie replied snidely as tears began to well up inside her eyes.

"Professor Z, that's not true at all. You see…"

"Vaughn why don't you do us all a _huge_ favor and shut the hell up?" Marshall retorted angrily, glaring at Vaughn with hate and disgust in his eyes. "We're all sick of your damn lies and excuses."

"Well why don't you _come_ over here and shut me up Marshall?" Vaughn taunted him as he stood up.

As Marshall and Vaughn walked closer to each other, Lucas and Z quickly got up and stood between them.

"Okay guys. **Chillax**. Let's just sit down and talk about this like adults." Lucas pleaded as he pulled Marshall away from Vaughn.

"Please Marshall, Vaughn, stop it now! You won't settle anything by using violence!" Z said sternly as he pulled Vaughn back and sat him down on the stool.

"Marshall, Vaughn please stop it! You're acting like complete idiots!" Corrine cried.

Marshall glared at Corrine with hurt in his eyes. "You see Vaughn, now you've made you're _girlfriend_ cry! You happy now? What type of boyfriend are you anyway?"

"Marshall for the last time…you know what? I'm not gonna even answer you. You know the answer to that! At least I'm a better boyfriend than you'll ever be!" Vaughn shot back viciously, as he eyed Marshall with hate.

"You know what? You need to stop talking shit before I…" Marshall began.

"GUYS STOP IT!" Z yelled loudly. This is ridiculous! You are all friends! You are about to graduate in a few months and you are all acting like children! "Lucas, since you seem to be the neutral guy in all of this, tell me…what happened?"

Lucas sighed as he stood up to face everyone in the room. "Well Z, it's a long story, but all I can tell you that too much has happened between us over the past few months. I'm not so sure if things can go back to they way they were…"

"Please guys just _try_ to work out your problems and get along…for me." Z pleaded as he eyed everyone in the room. "I can help you mend your friendships with each other. I can help you restore what's lost."

"No Z, I'm afraid you can't because…it's too late. We've lost too much and I don't think our friendships can be restored." Josie replied as she eyed Vaughn and Corrine with hurt in her eyes.

**So how do you like it so far? You will have to wait for chapter 1 and 2. They are already written, but I don't want to post them until my other fic is finished. As I've mentioned before, this fic will be broken up into two fics. This is just the first half. So I hope I got you hooked because there's more to come! Stay tuned! **


	2. Wide Eyed Wonders

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A/N: Hey guys! As promised, I have finally posted chapter 1! I will try to update this story every two weeks! Read and enjoy!

_**A few months earlier…before prologue…**_

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The warm, late spring air signified the ending of a long, eventful school year. The members of the science club, as well as the other juniors, were all anxious about ending this school year and becoming seniors in the fall. With impending final exams in less than a month, every student at Blake Holsey was found either studying or finishing up projects. Marshall and Lucas were busily studying in their room, cut off from the rest of the world…

"Why do they wait 'till the very end of the school year to give us all of this crap?" Marshall complained as he twirled his pencil lazily between his fingers.

"Because Marsh, the teachers here don't have their own lives so it makes them feel better when they deprive us of fun." Lucas replied as he continued to read his science textbook.

"Well Luke, they can't stop us from having a personal life…and on that note, I'm taking a break. I gotta get some relief…" Marshall protested as he sprung up from his bed and walked over to the door.

"Let me guess, you're relief is someone by the name of Corrine Baxter right?" Lucas asked sarcastically. A huge smile spread slowly across Marshall's face. His eyes lit up and his heart began beating faster at the very mention of her name.

"You're right. I'll be back later." Marshall replied as he winked at Lucas and walked out of the room. Lucas chuckled and shook his head.

"Iidiot."

* * *

On the other side of the Blake Holsey campus, Josie was sitting on the bleachers, watching Vaughn intently as he was practicing football with his team for their final game of the season. With every successful touchdown and tackle Vaughn made, Josie eagerly stood up to cheer him on.

"Yeah Vaughn! Great tackle!" She yelled enthusiastically. She was the only spectator on the bench cheering, except for a few disgruntled cheerleaders who were practicing their cheers a few feet down below from where she sat.

"Hey Trent, if you wanted to try out for cheerleading you should have done it earlier this year! Would you mind shutting your big mouth! We can't hear ourselves practice our cheers!" Madison shouted snobbishly as she glared up toward the back row of the bleachers at Josie.

Josie stood up and walked down off the bleachers to confront her. "Don't be jealous because I'm personally cheering for the star quarterback."

Madison's face flushed beet red. She was so infuriated with Josie's bragging that she became lost for words. _How dare she throw that in my face! She knows that I used to have something for Vaughn…until she came…and now she's throwing it all in my face! _

"Why you little…"

"Okay Madison that's enough! Come on now we have to finish cheering! Don't worry about this loser, let's go!" A fellow cheerleader, Wendy, commanded as she grabbed Madison by the arm and pulled her away from Josie.

An elated smirk began to form on Josie's face. _I love it when I get to her like that…she's so pathetic._ "Hey Madison." She said in a taunting voice. Madison quickly spun around and glowered. "Looks like you've put on about ten pounds. Pig out much?." Josie retorted with a menacing smile as she slowly turned around and walked back up to her seat.

"Oh you little bi…"

"Madison! Focus or else I will name myself the captain! She's not worth it!" Another cheerleader yelled to Madison. Madison rolled her eyes and slowly walked back to her team. _I'll get that little runt one day…when she least expects it…_

After a few minutes, the football coach blew the whistle and ended practice. Vaughn took off his helmet and glanced over at the bleachers and noticed Josie sitting in her same spot. He began to feel gladness in his heart at the very sight of her. Josie looked down at him and smiled as she stood up to walk towards him. As she approached the last bench to step over, Vaughn walked over to her and held her hand.

"Thanks, I almost slipped there." Josie replied sweetly as she gazed into his eyes.

"So, I see that you came to watch me practice."

Well, I thought that you needed a personal cheerleader and I love to watch you play." Josie replied flirtatiously as she stepped closer to him. Vaughn smiled and lifted her chin and gently kissed her on the lips. They became oblivious to their surroundings and were unaware that they had an audience staring at them.

"Whoohoo, yeah Pearson!" Some of the teammates were yelling and whistling.

"I think we're giving them a show." Vaughn said as he broke away from her lips.

Josie smiled and glanced at Vaughn's perverted team members and rolled her eyes. "I think we'd better stop and continue this later. I'll be in the library or in my room studying."

"Alright, I'll meet you in either room. I gotta go shower and change my clothes, then we can '_study_' together later." He said as he placed two more kisses on her lips.

"See you then." Josie said as she waved good-bye and walked away.

Vaughn's eyes became fixated on Josie's body as she continued to stroll towards the school.

"Hey Pearson!" Kubiak began as he stood next to Vaughn. "Next time when you guys make out, try not to do it in front of us." Vaughn did not respond. He was still too busy watching Josie.

"Pearson…! Pearson!" Kubiak yelled annoyingly as he nudged Vaughn roughly in the ribs.

"Ouch! Why did you do that for?!" Vaughn yelled as he grabbed his right side in pain.

"Because! You weren't listening to me. You were too busy watching Trent walk away."

Vaughn finally took his eyes off of Josie and faced Stu. "Don't be jealous man because I get to make out with a beautiful girl like Josie, whereas you don't have anyone."

Stu rolled his eyes. "Yeah whatever…"

Vaughn chuckled and patted him on the back. "Well you know Stu, there's always _Madison_…"

Stu glanced over at Madison, who was busily teaching a routine to the other cheerleaders.

"Dude, I wouldn't make out with her even if I had _your_ lips…"

"Whatever man. I'll see you later." Vaughn laughed as he took his helmet and bag and ran towards the gym.

"Hello Miss Baxter" Marshall said as he posed coolly in the doorway of Corrine and Josie's room. Corrine was sitting quietly on her bed reading a science textbook with headphones in her ear. Marshall continued to stand quietly in the doorway, hoping she would notice him. Sensing someone was in the room with her, Corrine broke out of her concentration and looked up at Marshall. She smiled and removed the headphones from her ears.

"It's about time you noticed me. I was standing here a whole hour looking like an idiot." Marshall said as he shook his head.

Corrine rolled her eyes and giggled. "No you weren't. I haven't been in here for a whole hour. I was in my zone and I didn't notice you. Come over here and sit down." She replied sweetly as she patted the spot next to her on the bed.

Marshall closed the door and gladly sat down close to her and placed his head on her shoulder.

"Hey…aren't you supposed to be studying?" Corrine asked as she tapped him gently on the nose.

"Well, I've been studying all day and I just needed to take a break." He said as he lifted his head off of her shoulder.

"So you decided to come and see me?"

"Yeah…I thought maybe, you know, we could take a break together…"

"If I take this break with you, what will we do?" Corrine asked flirtatiously.

Marshall smirked as he leaned in closer to her. "Well, if you put your books down, then you'll find out."

Corrine smiled and closed her books and pushed them off to the side of the bed. "Well then, I guess I'll take a break with you. So…show me what we're gonna do." Marshall turned his whole body towards her and scooted himself closer to her until they were face to face with each other. Corrine stared deeply into his brown eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair. After a few moments, she placed her hands on his face and drew him in closer and kissed his lips. The powerful embrace of the kiss left both Marshall and Corrine in another world. Every time they would break away from each other, they couldn't stand to be apart and found themselves kissing again. Every interruption would intensify their embrace even more until Marshall finally came to his senses.

"I think we should get back to studying and continue on with this during another break." Marshall suggested as he pulled away from her lips for the third time.

"Yeah you're right…we'd better get back to studying…" Corrine replied breathlessly.

Marshall got up from the bed and walked over to the door, as Corrine followed behind him with her arms wrapped around his waist. Marshall turned to face her as he stood outside of the room.

"I'll see you in a few and then we can review the science notes later, okay?" He said as he caressed her cheek.

"Sure…" Corrine replied in a daze. Before Marshall could walk away, Corrine gently grabbed his arm. "You forgot something." She whispered as she yanked him closer and planted a long, passionate kiss on his lips.

Marshall pulled away from her lips and began walking backwards down the hall. "Wow!" He said as he smiled and turned to walk to his room.

"See ya in a few!" Corrine called out as she stepped inside her room and closed the door.

As Marshall continued to head towards his room, Josie was walking towards him, on her way to her and Corrine's room. She noticed the goofy expression on Marshall's face. _I wonder what's gotten him so happy?_ She thought. She made a curious frown as she approached him. " Marshall…what's with the ridiculous face? You look like you're disoriented or something. Is everything alright?"

"Oh uh…I just came from visiting Corrine." He replied with an elated smile. "I needed to take a break from studying."

Josie stared at him and shook her head. "Yeah, sure you did. You know, you two are really a mess. You guys spend every waking moment with each other."

"Well, what can I say? We can't keep our hands off of each other, especially Corrine. She can't help herself. I know it must be pretty hard for her to keep her hands to herself when she's with an irresistible man like myself." Marshall boasted as he winked at Josie.

Josie furrowed her brow in disgust. "Oh _please_ give me a break! Marshall, I did _not_ need to know that. And on that note, I gotta go. See you later!" She said as she walked to her room. Marshall stepped inside his room, still in a daze, and closed the door, trying to recover from Corrine's powerful kiss.

After Vaughn finished showering and changed into his regular clothes, he packed up his belongings and walked out of the gym locker room. On his way across the back lawn to the dorms, Vaughn heard his name being called. He stopped in his tracks and turned around, and to his surprise, saw that it was his father.

"Vaughn! Come here please." Victor Pearson said as he got out of the car.

Vaughn dropped his bag onto the ground. _What could he possibly want? This can't be good. _He said to himself as he walked nervously towards the car.

"Oh, hey dad." Vaughn said unenthusiastically.

"Vaughn I had a meeting with all of your teachers today and I'm proud to say that they all gave me great reports about you."

Vaughn breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled. Victor returned the smile, along with a congratulatory pat on the shoulder. "I'm very proud of you, son."

"Thanks dad, I really appreciate it…I've worked really hard this year, more than any of my years here at Blake Holsey." Vaughn replied as he shook Victor's hand.

"So it may seem. Listen Vaughn, I know that we hardly spend time together. Why don't we use this opportunity and celebrate tonight? You can bring the Trent girl with you if you want and we can discuss plans for the summer."

Vaughn smiled and picked up his duffel bag. "That sounds great dad. I'll tell Josie."

"Oh, Vaughn the limo will pick you two up tonight promptly at 6:30. See you then." Victor replied as he got back into the car and drove away.

Vaughn stood at the front steps of the school as he watched his father drive off campus. He seemed puzzled for a moment, not knowing what to think of his father's sudden personality change. _Man am I glad that went well. I thought I was in serious trouble or something. I'm happy that dad's finally proud of me._ Suddenly, an unsettling feeling began to knot up inside his stomach. Disturbing thoughts about the idea of Josie and his father sitting face to face with each other, eating dinner together, concerned him. _I sure as hell hope that nothing bad happens tonight… Now I have to ask Josie if she's willing to come celebrate with us…I hope she's up for it_…He thought as he turned and walked inside the doors of the school.

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**How was it? I hope you've enjoyed reading and please review! It will inspire me to write more! Stay tuned...More to come! **


	3. You're My Obsession

**A/N:Hey guys! Sorry to update so late! I know you guys are anxious to find out what will happen in this fic. Trust me a LOT will go on! Well here is chapter 3! I hope you enjoy and review!**

Josie sat quietly on her bed, deep in thought. For some reason, she could not get herself in the mood to study. Her mind was too preoccupied with plans for the summer, and also, of course, with Vaughn. "Corrine, how do you know when you love someone?" Josie asked as she shoved her book over to the side of the bed. Corrine looked up from her book bewildered as she got up from her desk.

"What did you say?" Corrine asked, frowning her face as she sat down on her bed.

Josie rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. "I said…how do you know when you love someone?" She replied slowly with sarcasm.

Corrine widened her eyes and smiled. "So…what made you think of this? Do you love Vaughn?"

Josie hesitated for a few moments as a huge smile began to spread across her face. "Um…well I _think _I love him but it's too soon to tell…I mean we have a great relationship and the chemistry between us is unbelievable, but we've only been going out since the start of junior year."

"So this is June now…that makes it what now…8 months?" Corrine asked as she counted her fingers.

"Yeah, just about 8 months. We've been going out since mid-October." Josie replied with a dreamy smile.

"You know, you don't have to be with someone for months or even years to figure out that you love them, Josie. I thought you were in love with him when you two were just friends?" Corrine replied matter-of-factly.

"Yeah I know. I wasn't in love with him when we were platonic…I mean don't get me wrong; I've always had feelings for him since the beginning. I guess they grew stronger for him over the years since we've been in school. I was just wondering if I was moving too fast by saying that I love him." Josie sighed in frustration as she buried her head into a pillow.

Corrine got up from her bed and sat down next to Josie. "Josie…if you love him it's okay. It's not too soon to say that you love him. The _only _way that you'll be moving too fast with him is if you two…_you know_…"

"Oh no, no, no! I'm definitely **not** going to do that! I'm clearly not ready for that and it's not gonna happen!" Josie retorted defiantly as she shook her head.

"Good for you!" Corrine replied as she patted her back reassuringly. "Loving someone is one of the most beautiful things in the world. I mean, look at Marshall and I. I started liking him sophomore year and we've been happily dating ever since. I can truly say that I love him and he loves me."

"How do you know he loves you?" Josie asked curiously as she widened her eyes.

"Because he told me a few months ago." Corrine replied with an elated smile.

"So do you think Vaughn loves me? Or do you think I should tell him first?"

"Only you can answer that for yourself Josie. You are the one that can tell if he loves you or not. And when the time is right, you two will say how you feel about each other. So be patient and wait." Corrine said as she returned to her bed and lay down.

"Yeah I guess you're right. I think he loves me by the way he treats me. I could see a glimmer in his eyes when he looks at me. We're always together…spending quality time with each other." Josie replied with a smile.

"See I told you! Don't worry Josie; everything will be just fine. You'll have to take things one day at a time. Oh…and another word of advice. I wouldn't tell him that I love him first. Let him say it before you do."

Josie furrowed her brow in confusion. "Corrine what are you trying to say? I thought you said that I should tell him?"

"Yes you _should_ tell him, but don't be the first one to say I love you. It's a general rule that girls should follow." Corrine said sternly.

"What's the difference between who says what first…as long as it's being said." Josie replied sarcastically.

"It's an old saying that my mom told me. She said it's the guy's job to say I love you to the girl first. That way, she'll know how he feels and she won't risk getting her feelings hurt." Corrine replied nonchalantly.

Josie stared at Corrine quizzically. "And you're telling me that you believe that nonsense? That sounds more like superstition instead of a rule."

"I don't know Josie. It's just something I was told. Like I said, take it one day at a time and don't rush it. Saying the words I love you are the three most powerful words you'll ever use, so be careful okay?" Corrine said as she sat up in bed and eyed Josie seriously.

"Okay _mom_… whatever you say." Josie chuckled as she made faces at her roommate. Corrine took one of her pillows and threw it at her playfully.

"I'm sleepy, wake me up a half-hour before dinner starts." Corrine yawned as she lay back down.

"Okay." Josie replied. "Hey Corrine?"

"Yeah Josie?"

"Thanks."

"No problem…anytime Josie." And with those last words, Corrine yawned again and fell fast asleep.

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After a half hour of trying to study and listening to Corrine's obnoxiously loud snoring, there was a soft knock at the door. Annoyed, Josie plopped her book down on the bed and turned to look at Corrine. "Corrine you have got to stop that damn snoring or I'll never get any studying done!" She complained in a soft whisper as she got up and walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hey Vaughn!" She whispered as she kissed him on the lips.

"Hey." He replied in a mellow tone. "Why are we whispering?"

Josie opened the door wider and moved over to the side, allowing room for Vaughn to step inside the room.

Vaughn peered into the room and saw Corrine lying on the bed fast asleep. For some strange reason, he could not take his eyes off of her. She appeared differently to him somehow, as if she was a different person. He quickly snapped out of his gaze and looked over at Josie. "Wow! She's a loud sleeper isn't she? No wonder why you don't get enough sleep at night!" Vaughn chuckled.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Come out here in the hallway so that we can talk and not disturb snoring beauty." Josie replied as she stepped out, leaving him in the room. Vaughn began to walk backwards towards the door, with his eyes still fixated on Corrine. Josie noticed his odd behavior and frowned as she stepped back inside her room.

"Vaughn, what's the hold up? Is something wrong?"

Vaughn snapped out of his gaze and faced Josie. "Oh…no, nothing's wrong. I thought Corrine said something to me."

Josie continued to eye him strangely. "Uh…okay. She talks in her sleep sometimes. I guess you got to witness that."

Vaughn smiled and grabbed Josie's hand. "Come on, let's go." He said as they left the room.

"So…what's up?" Josie asked as they stood in the hallway in front of her room.

Vaughn exhaled a nervous breath before he spoke. "Well, as I was walking from the gym, I ran into my dad. He told me that he was proud of me and that he wants to celebrate tonight."

"Oh yeah? What's the occasion? I'm surprised he even spoke to you…let alone made plans to spend some _'quality father-son time'_ with you." Josie replied half-heartedly.

"I know…he said he wants to celebrate because all of the professors gave him good reports concerning my grades. I guess he's trying to make up for lost time between us." Vaughn replied wearily.

"So what else did he say?"

Vaughn hesitated for a moment, as he turned his gaze away from Josie and glanced down at the floor. " He said…he wants you to join us tonight for dinner…"

Josie widened her eyes in disbelief as her jaw dropped open in surprise. "Are you serious? I thought he hated me and didn't want me around?"

"No he doesn't hate you. He told me to make sure that I bring you along. I guess he realizes that you are an important part of my life. It wouldn't be fair if you weren't with me to celebrate." Vaughn replied sweetly as he held her hand.

Josie's heart began to beat even faster at his words, causing her to become speechless. _Maybe he does love me!_ She thought as she stepped closer to him.

"So…you think I'm an important part of your life?"

Vaughn smiled reassuringly as he began to blush. "Yeah, you've always been there for me from the time when we were just friends and even more now since we've been dating."

Tears began to well up in Josie's eyes. She lowered her hear for a few moments to compose herself and then glanced up at Vaughn. "Vaughn, you're making me cry." She replied in a soft whisper as she wiped a tear from her eye.

Vaughn gently wiped another tear from her eye and cupped her face into his hands. "So are you gonna join us tonight at 7?" The limo will pick us up around 6:30."

Josie took in a deep breath and cleared her throat before answering. "Sure...I wouldn't miss this for anything."

Vaughn leaned in closer and kissed her passionately on the lips.

"Hey Pearson, Trent! Get a damn room! Nobody wants to see that shit!" Madison yelled from down the hall. Vaughn and Josie broke away from their sweet embrace and noticed Madison shooting her famous death glare at them. Josie entertained Madison's threat and returned her harsh gaze. She was about to walk over to the envious cheerleader and attempt to 'solve' her problem, until Vaughn grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"Jos, don't bother…she's not worth it. She's just jealous." Vaughn replied reassuringly as he drew her in closer and purposely placed another kiss on her lips.

"Yeah I guess you're right." Josie replied as she teasingly smirked at Madison, who was now red in the face.

"So…do you want to study for an hour or so and then get ready for tonight?" Vaughn asked as he entwined his fingers with hers."

"Yeah. I'll go inside and get my science notes." Josie said as she opened the door and crept back inside her room. Corrine was still sound asleep, snoring louder than ever. "Damn girl! What the hell are you dreaming about?" Josie whispered as she grabbed her books and set Corrine's timer to 5 o'clock. As Josie gathered up the rest of her things, Vaughn took this opportunity to sneak another peak at Corrine. _Why does she look so different to me all of a sudden?_ He thought as Josie walked out of the room and met him in the hallway.

"Hey Jos, does Corrine seem different to you?"

Josie frowned in puzzlement. "No…she still looks the same to me. Why?"

"Oh, just…nothing…never mind." He said as he took his glance off of Corrine and smiled at Josie.

Josie eyed Vaughn strangely as she closed her bedroom door. "Okay that was odd…" She uttered under her breath as they began their walk down the hall.

"Here let me carry those for you." Vaughn said as he grabbed Josie's books and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I'll be glad when we get this studying done and over with." Josie replied as they approached Vaughn's bedroom door.

As Vaughn placed his hand on the doorknob, Josie suddenly turned and faced him with worry in her eyes. "Vaughn?"

"Yeah Jos?"

"I have a strange feeling about tonight…I don't think it's a good idea if I come."

Vaughn rolled his eyes and sighed. "Josie don't worry…my dad will behave. Please just do this once…for me?"

Josie gazed into Vaughn's pleading brown eyes and gave him a half smile. "Alright…I'll go. But if your dad says **anything** to make me mad, it's on." She replied as she walked into the room.

Vaughn followed after her, shaking his head. "Don't worry, he won't." _At least I hope he won't say anything…please God don't let tonight be a disaster._ Before he closed his door, he had a sudden urge to look down the hall towards Josie and Corrine's room. He still couldn't shake the notion that something was different about Corrine. Maybe she looks different when she sleeps? Whatever it was, he just couldn't pinpoint it. "_I'm losing my mind_…" He whispered as he turned his gaze away from down the hall and closed his bedroom door.

**Hmmm...What's going on with Vaughn? Why is he staring at Corrine all of a sudden? Maybe is nothing serious...or is it? I guess you'll have to keep reading more to find out! Thanks for reading! Stay tuned!**


	4. I Melt With You

**_Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait! I know I said that I would post every two weeks, but I was soo busy! I wanted to leave you off with this chapter for the new year! I hope you are enjoying this fic and also my other fics! Now read and enjoy!_**

Marshall lay quietly on his bed, with his hands folded behind his head as he stared blankly up towards the white plastered ceiling. There were multiple thoughts racing through his mind…final exams, last minute projects, Magnet 360 gigs, summer plans, and most importantly, the love of his life, Corrine. It had been a mere two hours since he was in her presence. The long, passionate kiss they shared lingered on his lips…and he _could not_ wait for their next encounter…A few moments later, his eyes drifted downward from the ceiling and to the left at his roommate, who was sitting at his desk with his back turned. Marshall knew he should have been studying like Lucas, but he was preoccupied with plans for the upcoming weekend… besides, his brain was burnt out from studying all day.

"Hey Marsh…are you going downstairs for dinner tonight? I heard they're serving some sort of special tonight. I think it's called pasta Friday." Lucas said as he turned around from his desk to look at his friend.

Marshall frowned his face and flared his nose as memories of a past Friday pasta night entered his mind. "I don't ever want to eat any pasta from this God forsaken place ever again!" He said as he eyed Lucas seriously.

Lucas furrowed his brow in confusion at Marshall's odd reaction to his question. "Why not? Their pasta is the only digestible food they have here."

Marshall sighed and rolled his eyes in disgust. "You don't remember what happened freshman year when we had our first pasta Friday?"

Lucas frowned his face and scratched his head as he tried to think back to three years. "No…I don't recall that day. Why are you so adamant about not eating noodles in tomato sauce?"

"You mean to tell me you don't remember Lucas?! Think! It's too repulsive to mention what happened to me that day." Marshall said as a sour feeling shot to his stomach.

Lucas paused for a moment as he stared blankly at Marshall. "Oh yeah _now _I remember! How could I forget! There was a great big snot ball in your spaghetti and meatballs, wasn't it!" He said as he began to laugh hysterically.

"Didn't Kubiak do that? Or was it his friend that used to go here…what's his face…Connor…" Lucas asked in a hysterical laughter.

Marshall pouted his face in anger. "I think it was Kubiak's idea more than it was his Neanderthal friend. Gross…those two bastards needed a life. I am _so_ glad Connor left."

"He got…kicked…out…didn't… he?" Lucas asked as he suddenly began wheezing from laughing so hard.

"Yeah for being a sick ass prankster! And _I_ was one of the lucky ones to have been his victim! Dammit Lucas why did you have to remind me of that shit! And in answer to your question, there is no way in **hell **I'm eating dinner from here tonight!" Marshall retorted as he got out of bed and put on his shoes.

During the whole time his roommate was ranting and raving, Lucas felt an abnormally painful constriction in his lungs. He had had asthma attacks in the past and felt a little tightness in his chest before, but never like this…pain never came with asthma attacks. He found it difficult to breathe as he desperately tried to take in deep breaths. _I gotta find my asthma pump!_ He thought as he got out of his chair and walked over to his dresser. He opened the top drawer and began to frantically rummage through the contents inside, as the constriction within his chest grew tighter. _I hope I find it before I blackout…there it is! Oh thank God! _He wheezed between breaths. He quickly put the pump to his lips and squirted two spurts of air into his lungs. Lucas closed his eyes as he inhaled a few deep breaths through his mouth and nose and allowed a few precious breaths to escape his mouth. As he continued to lean with his back against the dresser, he became lost in the moment, drowning out Marshall's whining voice in the background.

Marshall noticed that the room fell silent and that there was no laughter coming from Lucas. He turned around and noticed his best friend leaning against the dresser with his eyes closed, clutching an asthma pump in his hand. Alarmed, Marshall stepped closer to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright man? I hope you didn't laugh yourself into a convulsion."

Lucas opened his eyes as he took one last deep breath from his inhaler. "Yeah I'm okay…I just lost my breath that's all…nothing to worry about." He smiled with weak reassurance. He knew that something was seriously wrong with him…for he had never had an asthma attack that was _this_ intense.

Marshall eyed him concernedly and patted his shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay? Did you have some sort of asthma attack because you look like you just got the wind knocked out of you buddy."

"I'm fine…I just laughed too hard and choked on my breath…like I said, it's nothing to worry about…_Mom_! Lucas replied jokingly as he turned around and placed his asthma pump back inside the top drawer.

"I'm glad to hear that…I thought I would have to give you CPR or something…and I am _not_ putting my lips on a dude, especially on you!" Marshall retorted jokingly. Lucas nudged him in the arm and playfully pursed his lips at him. In response to his antics, Marshall quickly backed up towards the door, frowning his face in disgust at his roommate.

"Okay, enough about me…so what are you gonna do for dinner?" Lucas asked as he began gathering his books on his desk.

"Well since it's Friday night and we're allowed to order out on weekends, I figure we should order pizza or something. Unless you don't want to miss out on the big Friday pasta night crap…" Marshall suggested sarcastically.

"Sounds good to me! I'm in! I'll ask Josie and Vaughn if they want to order with us." Lucas said as he walked over to his bed and plopped down onto it.

"Okay you go do that…in the meantime, I'll be in Corrine's room. After thinking about that nasty crap, I need to cleanse my mind. I'll see you in a little bit." Marshall replied as he stepped out of the room and strolled down the crowded hallway towards his ladylove's room.

* * *

It was now five minutes to 6pm. Vaughn and Josie were in his room fast asleep on the bed, exhausted from their late afternoon study session. Neither of them realized that they had fallen asleep…more alarmingly; they were asleep in bed with each other!

Vaughn began to slowly awaken from his nap. He lazily stretched his arms and rolled over on his right side, resting one arm on something soft and warm. With his eyes still firmly closed, he gently wrapped his arm around the puzzling object and drew it closer to his body. Vaughn opened his eyes and noticed Josie lying next to him, sound asleep. An elated smile spread across his face when he identified the mysterious object his hand was innocently groping…it happened to be Josie's left breast. He leaned over her body and kissed her gently on the lips and began whispering into her ear.

"Josie wake up…we're gonna be late for dinner." He said as he softly poked her ribs. She stirred for a moment and turned on her side and faced him, opening her eyes slightly and then closing them again. Vaughn sighed and smiled as he noticed how beautiful she appeared when she slept. She almost appeared angelic, with her bright red hair and soft, pale skin that appeared to illuminate in the dimly lit room. Vaughn continued to helplessly stare at her, entranced by her flawless beauty. After a few moments, Josie finally opened her eyes slowly, with confusion written all over her face.

"Corrine why did you change our room…I liked the way it was before…" she groaned sleepily. She closed her eyes once more and then opened them, and noticed that her boyfriend was lying next to her smiling.

"Vaughn what are you doing in my bed?"

"No Josie…you're in **my** bed. See?" Vaughn smiled and brushed a few strands of bright red hair away from her eyes.

She frowned at him in puzzlement and rubbed her tired eyes as she glanced around the room. "Oh…" She replied in a soft, embarrassed laugh. "I am so retarded…we didn't…_you_ _know_…did we?" She asked nervously as she inched her body away from his.

"Vaughn widened his eyes in bewilderment and laughed. "No Jos…and plus, we still have our clothes on? _Hello_? Are you in there?"

"Oh…great…I was worried for a sec." She sighed in relief as she sat up in bed.

"Are you always this dazed and confused when you wake up?" Vaughn asked as he eyed his girlfriend strangely.

"Yeah…sometimes I don't even know where I am and Corrine has to remind me everyday." She replied with a soft laugh.

"You know, you are very beautiful when you're asleep." Vaughn cooed sweetly as he wrapped his arms around her waist firmly.

Josie giggled in flattery as she gazed into his brown eyes. She then leaned in closer and passionately kissed him on the lips. Vaughn tightened his grip around her waist and drew her in closer, until she was now lying on top of him. As the kiss deepened, Vaughn slowly moved his hands down her back and squeezed her tenderly. Josie grinned and playfully bit his bottom lip. Vaughn then secretly moved his hands under her shirt, massaging her soft, warm skin. As he broke away from her lips, he began to teasingly kiss her neck and rolled over on top of her. Josie let out a soft moan and surrendered to his dominance. She placed her hands on his face and deepened the kiss even more. After a few minutes of being lost in each other's arms, Vaughn slowly broke away from their sweet embrace.

"I think we'd better stop before we're late for dinner…" he said as he planted two more kisses on her lips.

"Yeah I guess you're right…I think we'd better stop before we do something we're not ready for…" Josie replied with a grin on her face. Vaughn gazed sweetly into her eyes and nodded his head in agreement. He knew that she was right. He was certainly not ready or willing to take their relationship to that level. He then glanced up at the alarm clock and noticed that it was 6:15pm.

"Oh shit! Josie we only have twenty minutes to get ready before the limo comes and picks us up!" Vaughn exclaimed as he rolled himself off of her and stood up. Josie got up from the bed and walked over to the door.

"I'm gonna go change and brush my hair." She said as she began to step out of the door.

"Okay. I'll come in your room in about ten minutes to pick you up." Vaughn replied as he took off his shirt, revealing his muscular chest and six-pack abs. Josie stood at the door in awe, fixated on his body. Vaughn glanced over at her and smiled when he noticed that she was gawking at him.

"Jos! Hello! Earth to Josie! Remember we have to get ready?" He retorted as he waved his hands to get her attention.

Josie snapped out of her daydream as a satisfied smile spread across her face. "Oh…yeah, sorry. I'm going now."

"Don't worry Jos, you'll see all of this again." He said seductively as he planted a kiss on her lips. Josie's cheeks flushed crimson red at Vaughn's advances. She was overcome with temptation as she fell into his arms and willingly returned the kiss. After a few moments, Josie broke away from his lips and held his hands. "I'll see you in ten minutes?"

"Ten minutes." Vaughn replied with a smile as Josie turned and walked out of the room.

"I've got to learn to control myself…" She whispered as she walked down the hall towards her room.

* * *

Marshall stood quietly outside of Corrine's room, holding one hand up to his face as he blew his breath into it. " Perfect...fresh all the time..." He thought as he began grooming himself. As he raised his fist to knock on the door, Josie quietly crept up behind him.

"Your wife is sleeping." She said jokingly as she nudged him over to the side and opened the door. "I was just about to wake her up…come on in."

Marshall eagerly followed behind the feisty redhead as his anticipation on seeing Corrine's face heightened. He tiptoed towards Corrine and sat down on her bed, admiring how sweet and innocent she appeared as she slept. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face and gently kissed her on the lips. "She is so beautiful isn't she?"

"Oh give me a break…" Josie retorted under her breath as she rolled her eyes and walked over to her dresser. Marshall continued to gaze upon his sleeping girlfriend and leaned in closer and kissed her once more. "Corrine it's time to wake up…" He whispered into her ear.

Corrine shifted in bed as she slowly opened her eyes and stretched. She turned over onto her back and noticed Marshall sitting next to her. She smiled and entwined her fingers with his. "Hey babe. What time is it?" She asked groggily.

"It's almost 6:30 and time for me to get the hell outta here." Josie said as she rushed past them and made her way into the bathroom to change.

"What? Where is she going?" Corrine asked as she sat up, resting her back against a large blue pillow.

"I think she and Vaughn have plans tonight…they're going out to dinner with Victor or something…" Marshall replied as he scooted himself closer to his sweetheart.

"I hope they have a decent time…being as though Victor's not too fond of Josie.." Corrine began as she gazed into Marshall's eyes.

Marshall moved in closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and grinned sweetly. "I'm sure she'll be fine…now, enough about them…let's talk about more important things…like you and me."

"What about you and me?" Corrine asked flirtatiously with a blushing smile.

"Well, it's Friday night and so far it's just the two of us…but Lucas suggested that we should order pizza or something tonight. Do you wanna join us?" He asked, kissing her gently on the lips after every word.

"I thought you said that it would only be you and me tonight?" Corrine asked playfully.

"Yeah…after we have our little pizza party with Lucas, we can escape and enjoy the rest of the evening together…if you know what I mean…" Marshall replied as he seductively frowned his eyebrows up and down playfully.

Corrine giggled and gently stroked his cheek with the backside of her hand. "And what are you trying to hint at might I ask?"

A suspicious smirk began to appear on his face as he eyed her with desire. "Oh nothing…just some quality time together…no funny business."

Corrine suddenly grabbed him by his shirt collar and roughly drew him closer to her face, planting a passionate kiss on his lips. As their make out session deepened, Josie walked out of the bathroom and glanced over at the hormone-enraged scene.

"Guys, really…why do you insist on making out in front of me?"

The lovebirds quickly broke away from their kiss and glanced over at Josie, who, to their surprise was dressed up. She wore a sleeveless white top with rhinestones scattered in an eloquent design around her bosom. She had on a beige knee-length pencil skirt with matching beige strap sandals. Her fiery red tresses were parted to the left side, flowing down onto her shoulders.

"Wow Josie! You look absolutely HOT!" Corrine retorted as she and Marshall stared at their friend with open mouths.

"Yeah…I don't think I've ever seen you dressed…like a girl!"

"Gee thanks Marsh…I'm glad you know what a female looks like." Josie shot back sarcastically.

"Is _Ms. Trent_ wearing earrings…and what's this? _Eyeliner and mascara_? I never knew you owned any makeup!" Corrine stated excitedly as she smiled.

"Yeah…I _am_ wearing makeup…no big deal. I want to look sophisticated tonight…for Vaughn." Josie replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"Are you nervous that you'll be dining with the infamous Victor Pearson tonight?" Marshall asked Josie curiously. "You know you two don't see eye to eye."

"I'm not nervous…I just have this gut feeling that something will go wrong…Vaughn implied that his father wants a truce and wants things to be different between us."

Corrine smiled at her roommate reassuringly. "I'm sure it will be fine…just take a deep breath and remember that you are going to dinner tonight for Vaughn."

Josie drew in a deep breath and smiled. "Yeah I know…I'm there for Vaughn…" She uttered quietly under her breath. Just then, there was a soft knock at the door.

Josie ran to the door and opened it…and was glad to see that it was none other than her significant other standing right in front of her smiling.

"Wow Jos…you look…you look amazing…" Vaughn stuttered as he eyed his girlfriend up and down.

"Thanks." Josie replied sweetly as she stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed him on the lips.

"See, and _you_ talk about Corrine and I making out in front of people." Marshall blurted out jokingly.

Josie turned around and rolled her eyes at her annoying friend, who now had a snide smirk on his face.

"So are you ready to go?" Vaughn asked the flaming redhead.

"Ready as I'll ever be…" She replied in an unenthusiastic, yet nervous tone as she grabbed Vaughn's hand.

"So where are you guys going?" Corrine asked.

"We're going to that new Italian restaurant that just opened up downtown…Sole Mio." Vaughn replied." "I heard it's really good and my dad loves Italian food."

"Oh that sounds great…" Corrine replied. "I guess we'll see you guys later then."

"Bye guys…" Josie and Vaughn said in unison as they waved to their friends and began walking out the door. As they strolled slowly down the hall towards the stairs hand in hand, they noticed Lucas walking towards them on his way to Corrine and Josie's room.

"Hey guys…you two look snazzy tonight. What's the occasion?"

"Thanks…we're going to dinner with my dad at the new Italian restaurant downtown." Vaughn replied.

"Oh…sounds expensive. Hey are Corrine and Marshall in your room Josie?"

"Yeah, but I'd knock first if I were you. They could be making out right now as we speak." Josie warned him with a laugh.

Lucas chuckled. "I wouldn't want to see that! My eyes may burn!"

"Well, gotta go, see ya later Lucas!" Vaughn said as he and Josie walked towards the stairs.

Lucas stood in the hallway for a few moments as he watched the couple descend the stairs. He always felt awkward when he was alone with Josie and Vaughn. Ever since the love triangle between them started last year after the Romeo and Juliet play, the friendship between the three was strained. It broke his heart to see that the girl he absolutely adored…maybe even loved, was now dating someone he felt was terribly wrong for her. Even though he and Vaughn were friends, they weren't close friends like he and Marshall. His feelings of loss had been gone for a few months now, but he promised himself that he would keep an eye on Josie…just in case something happens. Lucas sighed and shook his head as the couple disappeared from his view.

"Lucky bastard." He whispered jokingly as he turned around and walked over to Corrine's room, making sure to knock before entering.

"Corrine, Marshall…it's me…I'm comin' in." Lucas warned covering his eyes as he walked inside the room. Corrine was standing in front of the mirror, fixing her hair while Marshall was stretched out on her bed. They glanced over at Lucas strangely as he entered the room with one hand over his eyes, while the other was stretched out in front of him.

"Lucas what the hell are you doing? Why do you have your eyes covered?" Marshall asked.

Lucas slowly removed his hand from his face and carefully glanced at Marshall and Corrine. "I wanted to spare my eyes. I didn't want to see you two swapping spit." He chuckled.

Corrine rolled her eyes at Lucas. "What ever Randall."

Marshall got up from the bed and walked over to his friend. "Lucas I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings? Would you like to, as you put it, swap spit with me?" He asked jokingly as he batted his eyes. Corrine began to laugh hysterically at her boyfriend's antics.

Lucas pushed Marshall away and eyed him with disgust. "Dude…not cool."

Marshall began to laugh hysterically, patting his roommate on the back. "Just bustin' your balls buddy."

"Ha ha very funny." Lucas retorted, rolling his eyes. "So what are we going to do for dinner? I'm starved."

"We're eating pizza right? Or Chinese?" Corrine asked.

"How about some pasta?" Lucas replied jokingly as he eyed Marshall to see his reaction to the pasta suggestion. Marshall shot Lucas with an evil glare.

"Okay pizza it is…I'll order a large plain pie." Lucas chuckled as he picked up the telephone and dialed the number to the pizzeria.

* * *

Josie and Vaughn were waiting on the front steps of the school for the limo to arrive. Josie stood a few feet away from her boyfriend, with her arms crossed as she stared blankly into the evening sky. Vaughn glanced over at the transfixed redhead, sensing that something was troubling her.

"Are you okay Jos? " He asked her worriedly. Josie turned her body half way to face him

"Yeah…I'm fine…just a bit nervous that's all."

Vaughn slowly walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on top of her head. "Look Jos, I know you and my dad are not the best of friends, but you gotta trust me on this…he wants you two to be _friends_. He knows how important you are to me and he's willing to start a great friendship with you…"

Josie sighed and turned to face him. "I know, but it's gonna be so awkward …I never had to become friends, let alone hang out with anyone who I considered to be my enemy…I mean, look at me and Madison. She…"

"She's not anybody. Tonight it's you, me, and my dad…we're all starting over. So take a deep breath and calm down…" Vaughn replied reassuringly as he brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Josie closed her eyes and inhaled, then exhaled. _Everything will be fine…everything will be fine…you're here for Vaughn… _she chanted several times over in her mind as she inhaled and exhaled the warm spring air. After a few moments, she began to feel calm enough to face her soon–to-be former enemy.

Vaughn lifted her chin and cupped her face into his hands. "Are you okay now?"

"I think so…" She replied as she exhaled another breath.

"You don't seem like it. Maybe this will calm you down. Vaughn leaned in closer kissed her gently on the lips. She felt a tingling sensation start at her lips and then traveled throughout her body. Just as they were enjoying their soothing embrace, the limo pulled up in the driveway.

_**BEEP BEEP!!! **_

Josie and Vaughn slowly broke away from the kiss and smiled at each other lovingly.

"Ready?" Vaughn asked as he gently held her hand.

"I'm ready." She replied as they walked down the steps towards the limo, both feeling anxiously curious as to how the night will turn out…

**How did you like it? I know it's long, but I thinks that's how _some_ chapters are going to be...depending on the situations in each scene. Well, I'm leaving you off with this chapter and will update sometime in January! SO...Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! Thanks for reading!**


	5. Relax

A**/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait! I had serious writer's block. For those of you who are reading For Whom the Phantom Calls, please be patient with me. I will post chapter 20 hopefully this week! I had to cut this chapter in two because it was too long and I did not want otgive you guys a headache! Please do not skip chapters because you will miss out on a lot of stuff! So read and enjoy!**

"Okay we're here!" The driver said happily as he got out of the limo and opened the rear door. Vaughn stepped out first and scanned the area before turning his attention to Josie. "Watch your step." He said with a smile, holding out his hand for her to grasp. Josie carefully scooted her body to the edge of the seat and held Vaughn's hand to lift herself up out of the car. "Thanks, Vaughn, that's very chivalrous of you."

"No problem, it's my job." He replied sweetly as their eyes became fixated with each other. They stood next to the limo for a few moments with their backs facing the restaurant, until the limo driver interrupted their endearing moment.

"Excuse me, Sir, Madame." He said carefully. Josie and Vaughn broke away from their intense gaze and turned their attention to the driver. "I am leaving you now. Please call me and let me know when you want me to pick you up. Enjoy your night." He said as he waved goodbye and got back inside the limo.

"Thanks a lot! I'll call you later!" Vaughn shouted as the driver closed the car door.

"He's nice." Josie said as she watched the limo drive away.

"Yeah he is. He's been working for my dad for over ten years." Vaughn replied with a smile. As the limo turned the corner and disappeared from view, Josie and Vaughn turned around and faced the restaurant, hand in hand. They stood speechless for a few moments, captivated by the attractive scenery. A stream of white lights decorated the picketed fence and trees that surrounded the building. Instrumental Italian music could be heard playing softly through the speakers in the background, giving the atmosphere a romantic ambiance. There were also a few people dining outside in front of the building sitting at the French-styled patio tables.

"So this is Sole Mio…wow this place is beautiful. I heard that it's very upscale…not to mention _ridiculously_ expensive." Josie said in awe as she continued to take in the magnificent view.

"Yeah it is pretty expensive, but it's one of my dad's favorite places to eat. We only come here for special occasions." Vaughn replied.

"So…do you consider today as a special occasion?" Josie asked as she faced him. Vaughn entwined his hands with hers and smiled. "It's a special occasion because you're here…and it means a lot to me." Josie blushed and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips.

At the same time, Victor Pearson walked out of the restaurant to see if his son and date had arrived. He stood at the front doors and scanned the area, until he spotted them a few feet away, making out. "Isn't this just _lovely_." He grunted in annoyance under his breath as he began to walk towards the lovebirds. "Ahem…" He said in a bothered tone. "Vaughn, Ms. Trent." They broke away from their sweet embrace and hesitated for a moment before turning around to face Victor. "Oh…hey dad!" Vaughn said enthusiastically. "I didn't hear you coming."

"Of course you didn't." He replied snidely.

"Hey Mr. Pearson." Josie replied, blushing in embarrassment.

Victor forced a smile on his face. "Hello Ms. Trent. I don't mean to interrupt this little charade, but our table is waiting. So if you two don't mind…" Victor said as he motioned them to follow him inside the restaurant.

"Sure dad…" Vaughn replied as he and Josie held hands and followed behind the cantankerous man.

"Vaughn I am _so_ embarrassed." Josie whispered as she clutched his hand tighter.

"Don't worry about it, my dad has seen me making out with other girls before."

Josie stopped in her tracks and widened her eyes in surprise. "What?"

Vaughn faced his girlfriend and smiled. "I'm kidding! I just love to see you get mad…it's very sexy."

Josie squinted her eyes in disbelief. "Whatever." She retorted as they approached the table.

"Here we are…let me pull out your chair for you, Josie." Victor said with a sweet smile as he walked over to Josie and pulled out her seat.

Josie smiled and sat down in her chair, feeling awkward. She did not know how react to Victor's sudden kindness towards her. She was always used to his death glares and snide remarks whenever they were in each other's presence. There was only one reason as to why he would have this change of heart towards her. It was the fact that she was dating his son, and like it or not, he had to tolerate it. "Thanks Mr. Pearson…"

"You're welcome…Josie, you can call me Victor, if you want." He replied with a reassuring smile.

Josie glanced over at Vaughn with a surprised expression on her face. "Okay…_Victor?_" She replied uneasily.

"So, tell me…how were classes today?" Victor asked as he unfolded a napkin and placed it on his lap.

"Classes were great today, dad. We're preparing for finals right now."

"Yeah, I'm happy we have a month and a few days to prepare…" Josie added.

"Sounds great…I take it you two will be studying together for every class?" Victor asked curiously.

Vaughn smiled and glanced at Josie. "No dad, not for all the classes I'm taking. We're only in three classes together."

"That's good, then you two won't get distracted and Vaughn, you can keep your grades up…" Victor replied sarcastically. Both Josie and Vaughn glanced at each other with an uneasy smile. They noticed Victor's harsh tone, but decided it would be best to ignore. Josie perked up when she noticed that their waiter was approaching the table. "Oh great, our waiter is here…talk about perfect timing." She said in a soft voice.

During the time the waiter took their order and returned to the table with their food, they sat in complete silence. "So…great food, huh?" Josie asked, trying to break the awkward quietness.

"Yes, fantastic." Victor replied, flashing a phony smile at Josie. "Vaughn, do you have any plans for the summer?" Vaughn looked at his father wearily, he knew that this particular conversation would soon turn into an argument. "No dad, not yet."

"How about you Ms. Trent?"

"Well, I'm not so sure yet. I might travel to the U.S. and spend some time with my family members over there. Vaughn and I may have plans to spend some time together."

Victor smirked sarcastically as he looked at Josie and then at Vaughn. "Oh is that so?"

Vaughn lowered his head and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Dad before you jump to any conclusions, I haven't made any plans as of yet, but I will be doing something for the summer so don't worry."

"Well, if I may, let me suggest something productive that will prepare you better for the future." Victor began. "I will be sponsoring a summer program for students only in grades eleven and twelve. It will last for six weeks and will allow students to do research in science."

"Will the program be held at Blake Holsey?" Josie inquired.

"No, as a matter of fact, it will be held at my alma mater, Penn State." Victor replied with a proud smile.

Vaughn grinned halfheartedly at his father. "Sounds great dad."

"Principal Durst will make an announcement sometime next week during morning classes after we have a faculty meeting about this. I think you should consider signing up, Vaughn, instead of wasting away your summer making unrealistic plans with…_friends."_ Victor replied venomously as he eyed his son, and then turned his attention to Josie.

Victor's harsh words pierced through Josie's seemingly tough exterior. She knew that he was trying to attack her in a subtle, yet condescending way…and she was not going to tolerate it. She was about to comeback at him with some ruthless words of her own, but she caught sight of Vaughn's distressed face. As their eyes locked, it was as if Vaughn was mentally pleading her not to say anything. She decided to keep quiet and hold her tongue, for she knew how important this night was for Vaughn. "Excuse me, I have to go freshen up…" Josie said angrily as she stood up and stormed off in the direction of the restrooms.

Vaughn glared at his father with hurt and anger in his eyes. "Dad why did you have to say that! The night was going perfectly fine until you started acting rude all of a sudden! What's your deal with her anyway? She's never done anything to you!"

Victor stared at Vaughn with sternness in his eyes. "Look Vaughn, I don't trust her. I don't want her ruining your plans for the future."

"What do you mean you don't want my future ruined? It's only summer vacation for God's sake! I'm not applying to college for another whole year!" Vaughn said in a raised tone.

"It's about to be your senior year and I want you to be one-hundred percent focused on nothing but your studies and not on any girl…especially Josie Trent!"

Vaughn rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration. "Dad she's not a distraction! If you really wanna know, I'm passing all of my classes and getting good grades because of her! She's very important to me dad! And if you can't accept her, then I can't be bothered with you." He replied in defiance as he stood up and began to walk away to look for Josie.

"Vaughn, please wait!" Victor called out in desperation, but Vaughn did not answer. "Dammit." Victor whispered under his breath as he watched his son ignore him and continued to walk away.

* * *

"Pizza's here!" Lucas shouted as he walked down the hall towards Corrine and Josie's room. When he finally reached his destination, he noticed that something was out of place. "Hey wait a minute…didn't I leave this door wide open so that I won't have to open it?" He whispered to himself as he frowned at the closed door. He carefully placed his hand on the knob while balancing the large hot pizza box in one hand. It finally dawned on him that there was a reason why the door was shut. "Oh no, don't tell me they're…" He opened the door and to his dismay, caught Marshall and Corrine engaged in a heated, passionate kiss.

"Aww come on you guys! You knew I wouldn't be gone for long and you just had to give in to temptation…didn't you! Guys…really. Now my eyes are burning!" Lucas whined as he set the pizza box on Josie's desk. Marshall broke away from Corrine's lips and turned around and eyed his sickened friend, while Corrine began to giggle softly.

"Dude, you really need to get the sand out of your vagina. It's making you crabby and you're not a real pleasure to hang out with right now. I'm starting to get worried about you, buddy. Maybe you should seek professional help for your problem." Marshall replied jokingly. Corrine began laughing hysterically at her boyfriend's antics while Lucas smirked and flipped his middle finger at his roommate. Marshall stood up and wrapped his arm around Lucas's neck, attempting to put him into a headlock. "I'm just joking, now…lets eat." He replied as he opened the pizza box.

Corrine got up from her bed and walked over to Josie's desk and grabbed a slice of pizza.

"You know what, I think I'm gonna have to run around the school a few times tomorrow to burn this off." Corrine said as she took a bite of her slice. Marshall grabbed a slice and sat down on Josie's bed and grinned cunningly. "Corrine, I don't think you need to do that…there's something else you could do to burn off those extra calories." He replied as he looked at his girlfriend slyly. Corrine stopped eating and glared at her boyfriend in shock. Lucas spit out a piece of his food onto his plate and shook his head in disgust. "I think I'm gonna be sick." He replied as he sat down at Josie's desk.

"Marshall you are so disgusting. Why is your head always in the gutter?" Corrine asked as she shook her head and tried to hide her smile. Marshall widened his eyes in guilt. "What? All I'm saying is that there are other exercises you can do besides trying to kill yourself by running around this damn campus. What did you think I meant? I should be telling _you_ to get your head out of the gutter, miss-missy." Marshall replied with a chuckle.

Corrine eyed her sarcastic boyfriend with suspicion and giggled. "Marshall, whatever…don't try to be slick. You're the one with the perverted mind."

Lucas sat quietly and continued to eat his pizza, while looking at his lovesick friends. He shook his head in annoyance before he interrupted their playful bickering. "Okay guys, that's enough. Can we _please_ change the subject before I get visuals." Corrine and Marshall turned their attention away from each other and looked at Lucas. "Okay Lucas, what do you want to talk about?" Corrine asked with a sweet smile.

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, anything."

"I wonder how Josie and Vaughn's date is going with Victor Pearson." Marshall mentioned.

"Yeah…I hope everything went okay between Victor and Josie…" Corrine added. Marshall glanced over at Lucas, who seemed to have a disgruntled expression on his face. "Hey Lucas, you look like something's bothering you. Are you upset that we're talking about Josie and Vaughn? Cause if you are then we…"

"No…not at all. Why would speaking about them bother me?" Lucas interrupted, eying Marshall inquisitively.

"I just noticed that your whole demeanor changed when we mentioned Vaughn and Josie with the word date, that's all." Marshall retorted.

Corrine glanced at Lucas and noticed that he was somewhat uneasy. "Lucas, are you okay with Josie and Vaughn dating? I mean, we know you guys had some sort of love triangle thing or whatever it was last year. Are you sure it doesn't bother you?" She inquired carefully.

Lucas exhaled an irritated sigh and began to answer her question. "It did bother me a little in the beginning…No, as a matter of fact, it pissed me off when they first started dating. I always wondered what she saw in him, and questioned her reasons for choosing him. But then when I saw them two together and noticed how happy they were, I just sort of let it go. As time passed, my feelings for Josie slowly disappeared and I began to tolerate their relationship more. I told myself that since I couldn't have Josie as a girlfriend, then I would rather have her as a friend than not have her at all in my life. So in answer to your questions, it's what I've said before, Josie and Vaughn's relationship **does not** bother me in any way, shape, or form. I've moved on and we're all friends. Now we can live happily ever after." Lucas replied jokingly with a smile. He knew deep down inside that there was a small part of him that ached at the very sight of Josie and Vaughn together, not to mention hearing their names together made him cringe. But no one needed to know that…

Corrine and Marshall glanced at each other and smiled, obviously touched by Lucas' sweet candor. Marshall then faced Lucas and stood up. "Okay guys, group hug!" He said as he and Corrine ran over and tackled Lucas. He nearly fell off of his chair from the weight of their playful embrace. He gently pushed them away and eyed them oddly. "You guys really need some therapy."

"Oh really?" Corrine asked as she eyed her friend deviously. "Marshall, what should we do?" Corrine asked as she turned to her boyfriend. They were quiet for a few moments and grinned mischievously at Lucas. "Group hug!" They said in unison as they grabbed Lucas and hugged him once more. Lucas fell out of his seat and onto the floor, bringing Corrine and Marshall along with him. "Guys! You're heavy! Get off!" Lucas laughed as Corrine and Marshall rolled off of him and lay next to him on the floor. The three friends burst out into laughter and sat up on the floor. "Guys, with all joking aside, promise me that you'll never tell anyone, not even Josie or Vaughn, what I told you tonight." Lucas said sternly. "We promise Lucas." Corrine replied sweetly.

"So, what should we do next?" Corrine asked. "I know, maybe we should make out." Marshall suggested as he eyed his girlfriend flirtatiously.

Lucas rolled his eyes and stood up. "Oh God here we go again…"

**So, how did you like it? I know not too much has happened here, but the arguement. Now that you've read this chapter, go on to the next!**


	6. Object of My Desire

**A/N Hey guys! Thanks for continuing with this chapter! I will hopefully be able to post more frequently soon. These two chapters should hold you guys for a while, until I get a chance to update. Thanks again! If you guys have any suggestions or if you want to see something happen in either this story or in For Whom the Phantom Calls, please drop me a note! I'm open to suggestions! So, read and enjoy!**

Vaughn approached the women's restroom and knocked on the door. He could hear sniffling noises coming from inside. He immediately knew that it was Josie, and she was crying. "Josie? Are you in there? Jos…are you alright? Please come out and let's talk." After a few moments of waiting outside the restroom door, his redheaded love finally emerged, with tears streaming down her face. He immediately pulled her into a firm, loving hug. "It will be okay, Josie…please don't cry. I'm sorry that my father's being such an asshole for some reason. If I had known that he would act like this tonight, I wouldn't have agreed to come and celebrate with him. There's no excuse for his behavior tonight."

Josie lifted her head from Vaughn's chest and began wiping the tears away from her face with a piece of tissue. "I'm okay Vaughn. Don't blame yourself. I'm really crying because I want to say something to him but I can't, out of respect for you. I don't know what he has against me…but I'm fine now."

Vaughn gently lifted her head and wiped a tear from her eye. He then kissed her gently on the lips and smiled. "Do you want to go back and finish dinner or do you want to leave?"

Josie turned her gaze away from her boyfriend as she thought about what she wanted to do. "Let's go back. I'm willing to give your father a second chance. Besides, I don't want him thinking that he got to me. But if he says something else that's out of line, I'm gonna let him have it." She replied with sternness as she began walking back to the table. Vaughn stood alone and uttered a quick prayer. "Please God let the rest of the night be civil…" He said as he watched Josie sit down at the table. He began walking towards his dinner party until he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He noticed that Victor and Josie were talking, but could not hear what they were saying. Their facial expressions were serious, yet friendly. Vaughn walked quickly over to the table, just in case they started to argue. He sat down quietly in his seat on the opposite side of Josie and listened to their conversation.

"Josie, first off, I would like to apologize for my behavior. I did not mean to insult you in any way. As you can see, I am very protective over Vaughn…too protective, but I just want the best for him."

Josie cocked her brow. "You don't think I'm good for him?" She asked, sounding insulted.

"That's not what I meant. What I meant to say was that I want Vaughn to focus as much attention on his schoolwork like he does on his social life. I want him to be able to get into the best college and have a successful life. Look, Josie, I know we don't see eye to eye, but I do think that you're a good influence on Vaughn. He tells me that he credits you for helping him improve his grades, and I am grateful for that." Victor replied with an apologetic smile.

Josie was silent as she thought about Victor's seemingly kind words. She was unsure if he was being sincere or putting on an act in front of Vaughn. She decided that she would give him the benefit of the doubt, but would keep an eye on him. "I accept your apology Mr. Pearson, but I don't understand what you have against me."

Victor sighed and shifted in his chair uneasily. "I guess I give you a hard time because of the business relationship I had with your mother. We've never seen eye to eye and in many ways you remind me of your mother. I'm sorry to take my disdain I have for your mother out on you."

Josie forced herself to smile. It bothered her somewhat that he didn't like her mother for whatever reason, but for Vaughn's sake she decided that she had to forgive him. "I forgive you, Mr. Pearson, but please know that there is a one-hundred percent difference between me and my mom."

Victor chuckled at Josie's words. "I'm sure there is. So, being as though this has been a long, interesting night, are we ready to go now?"

Vaughn glanced at Josie, who was nodding her head, and then glanced at his father. "I think it's a good idea if we call it a night, dad."

"Okay, but not until we end it with a toast to celebrate your academic excellence." Victor said as he raised his glass of champagne. Vaughn and Josie raised their glass of soda and tapped them against each other.

"To Vaughn and his success for the future." Victor said

"And to forgiveness and new beginnings…" Josie added as she glanced at Victor and smiled. Victor returned her smile and tapped his glass against hers. "To new friendships…" They took a few sips from their glasses and sat in silence for a few moments.

"Okay, well I appreciate you for coming out tonight to celebrate. Vaughn, call Jeremy to pick you up. I drove here in my car. I'll give you two privacy for the rest of the night." Victor said with a warm smile. Vaughn took out his cell and called the limo driver. After Victor paid the bill, they walked out of the restaurant and stood in front. The limo pulled up to the front five minutes later. "Okay your ride is here. Enjoy the rest of the evening. Vaughn I'll see you later." Victor said as he walked to his car. Josie and Vaughn smiled at each other and held hands as they walked towards the limo and climbed inside. Vaughn wrapped his arm around Josie and gently kissed her head. "So, are you okay now? I'm happy you and my dad made up. He could be a real bastard sometimes."

"Yeah, I've noticed. But I'm willing to tolerate him, but only on one condition…"

"And what's that?" Vaughn asked as he widened his eyes.

"As long as we don't have to eat dinner with him anymore, he smacks his lips too much!" Josie said jokingly.

"Whatever, Jos." Vaughn retorted with a chuckle.

* * *

"Eight…" Marshall said excitedly as he slapped his cards down victoriously in the middle of the floor where the three friends sat. "Five..." Corrine said with a slight giggle as she placed her cards down on top of Marshall's cards. Lucas sighed and rolled his eyes as he held his cards up to his face. "Shit…fifteen." He retorted in defeat as he lazily threw his cards in the pile.

"Well Lukester, it seems that you've lost yet again for the third time in a row tonight…" Marshall began sarcastically. "You do know that the object of Hearts is to _lose_ all of your cards?"

"Haha no shit Wheeler. I really suck at this game. I gotta find a way to start winning."

"Oh no you don't. Don't you remember what happened last time when you cheated by wearing those x-ray glasses? You nearly went permanently blind! If you want to learn how to _really _play, I'll teach you…" Marshall replied as he gathered the cards and neatly placed them inside the card box. Lucas got up from the floor, where they had been playing for the past hour and a half, and sat on Josie's bed.

"No thanks Marsh, I'll pass. You're not that great of a player at this game, either. You've come in second the whole time we played. If I want to learn from a pro, I'll ask Corrine." Lucas replied jokingly. Marshall frowned his face at his roommate and stood up, and politely grabbed Corrine's hands to help her stand.

"Thanks, Marshall. Lucas I can teach you how to play anytime you want." Corrine replied with a smile as she began stretching her arms.

"Just make sure that's all you're teaching him. No funny stuff slick, or I'll…"

"Marshall shut up." Corrine replied playfully as she nudged Marshall in the arm. "You're so jealous…"

"What? I'm just a guy who's protecting his girlfriend from ulterior motives by other guys, that's all." Marshall retorted as he wrapped an arm around his ladylove and eyed Lucas with sternness.

Lucas rolled his eyes and laughed at his best friend's absurd threat. "Marshall you're just as threatening as my grandmother. You're such a geek."

"Yeah, maybe so but I at least I have a hot girl on my arm." Marshall teased as he tightened his grasp around Corrine's shoulders and kissed her on the forehead.

Corrine giggled and broke away from Marshall's grip. "Okay stop it you two."

"What are we gonna do now?" Marshall asked as he eyed his girlfriend and best friend. "I don't know…what time is it?" Corrine asked, yawning.

Lucas glanced at his watch. "It's almost ten. I think I'm gonna head back to the room and finish up on reading a chapter I started for science. I know I won't feel like reading during the weekend."

"Oh great idea Lukester. You head right on back to our room and give Corrine and I some private time. I'll see you later buddy. Here, take the empty pizza box with you and throw it out." Marshall retorted as he shoved the empty pizza box into Lucas' hands and pushed him out of the room.

"Not so fast, Marshall. I think Lucas is right. I'm going to finish up studying, also…sorry." Corrine replied with an apologetic frown. Marshall stood in front of his girlfriend, staring at her with his mouth open in disbelief and disappointment.

"But Corrine, come on…what about our…you know, _private party_?" Marshall whined, whispering the last two words into her ear. Corrine smiled sweetly and squeezed Marshall's face lovingly. "Aww, you're so cute when you're sad. I'm sorry babe, but I gotta study. Can you take a rain check?" She cupped his face into her hands and smiled reassuringly. Meanwhile, Lucas stood outside of the room, watching the hilarious scene before him. He began to laugh hysterically at his roommate's childlike behavior.

Marshall turned his gaze away from Corrine and glanced down at the floor. He then poked out his bottom lip, hoping she would feel guilty and change her mind.

"Sorry Marshall, that's not going to change my mind" Corrine giggled.

Marshall sighed and rolled his eyes in defeat. "Okay fine, but since you're kicking me out, can I _at least_ have a kiss goodnight?" Corrine smiled and drew him in for a passionate kiss.

Lucas saw them making out and decided that this was his cue to leave. He turned around and began walking down the hall towards his room. As he stood in front of his door with his hand on the knob and the other hand holding the empty pizza box, he heard two familiar voices down the hall. He looked up and to his dismay, noticed that it was Josie and Vaughn, walking hand in hand and laughing. They were too caught up in their own little world to even take notice that he stood a few feet down the hall from them. Lucas continued to watch them as they walked over to Vaughn's room and stopped. Vaughn gently pulled Josie in closer to his body and brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. He then leaned in closer and kissed her on the lips. Immediately, Lucas felt a sharp, little pain pierce through his heart. He tried to turn his gaze away from the kissing couple, but couldn't. He then went inside his room and closed the door, angrily folding the empty pizza box and placed it into the large wastebasket by the door. He slumped down onto his bed and lay back, with his hands behind his head. He had always hoped that he would never see Vaughn and Josie kiss again. It was bad enough that he had to witness it at a closer range last year when they were in Professor Z's class. But that was only for a project…this time, it was different. It was love. Lucas closed his eyes for a few moments to try to clear his mind from the tragic scene he had witnessed. How he prayed every night to God that he would have the opportunity to kiss her again. But he knew it wasn't meant to be, and as painful as it was, he was willing to accept it.

"Hey Lucas, I thought you were gonna study for the rest of the night?" Marshall asked in a cheerful tone as he entered the room and closed the door. Lucas opened his eyes and looked at his friend. "No, I changed my mind." He replied in a groggy tone.

"What just crawled up your ass?" Marshall inquired as he walked over to his dresser and opened up a drawer.

"Nothing…" Lucas replied sternly. Marshall changed into a white t-shirt he pulled out of his dresser drawer. He then sat down on the corner of his bed and faced Lucas. "Come on man, I know something's bothering you. Tell me."

Lucas sighed and sat up in bed. "I just saw Josie and Vaughn come in…and I guess it bothered me when I saw them kissing."

Marshall smirked as he looked at his friend. "Look, Luc, I know you're not over Josie…I could tell earlier when you said that it didn't bother you that she and Vaughn were dating. I saw it in your eyes, and Corrine sees it too. You're a great guy and I know you'll find someone else that's perfect for you. As hard as it is, you're gonna have to let this go. You can still care about her and be friends with her, but her heart belongs to someone else and there's nothing you can do about that."

Lucas lay back onto his pillow and placed his hands behind his head. "I know but it's hard. I'll be fine." Marshall smiled and grabbed one of his textbooks off of his desk and sat back on the bed and began reading.

"You know what Lucas, I just thought of something. What about that Italian exchange student that you had a huge crush on a few months ago?" Marshall asked as he placed the book down onto the bed.

"Who Tatia? I was crushing on her that one time…it was nothing serious. Where are you going with this Marsh?"

"I'm just saying, maybe you should try her out again? You know, take your mind off of Josie for a bit? I heard that Tatia's single now. She's fair game, man. You should seriously consider snatching her up." Marshall retorted as he picked up his book again.

Lucas widened his eyes. "She is? Hmmm…I don't know. I don't think she can handle the Lukester." He said jokingly with a grin.

Marshall shook his head and chuckled. He then glanced over at his roommate, who now had his eyes closed, with a grin etched on his face. He began to feel bad that Lucas was going through this heartbreak of losing the girl he cared about to another guy. He could only hope that things would change and Lucas would move on. Unbeknownst to Marshall, he would face the same dilemma as his heartbroken best friend in the near future.

* * *

Corrine put on her pajamas and took her science textbook off of her desk. She pulled back the covers on her bed and sat down and began reading. After a few minutes, Josie walked into the room with an elated smile on her face. Corrine glanced up from her book and greeted her roommate with a smile.

"Hey Josie! How was dinner?" Corrine asked as she placed the textbook down on her lap. Josie sauntered over to her bed and plopped down with a sigh.

"It was an interesting night. One I will never forget…" Josie retorted as she began taking off her shoes.

Corrine widened her eyes in anticipation. "Really? So tell me what happened."

"Well, in the beginning, Victor caught me and Vaughn making out in front of the restaurant. That was pretty embarrassing. And then when we went to sit down, well, Victor and I kind of got into it." Josie explained.

"Oh my God! What happened?" Corrine asked.

"It all started when Victor asked us about our summer plans and when he heard that Vaughn and I had plans of being together this summer, he nearly freaked. He said that Vaughn should enroll in some summer program that he's sponsoring at Penn State. He said that he didn't want Vaughn wasting his time with friends this summer. Of course I got offended and ran off to the bathroom and started crying."

"He said that?" Corrine asked wide-eyed.

"Yeah, he did. But he apologized afterward. I guess we're friends now."

"Aww, that's so sweet! I'm glad the night turned out great for you, Josie."

"Yeah I'm surprised, but I was right about Victor and I having a showdown sooner or later." Josie replied as she changed into her pajamas and lay down in her bed."

"That's good. At least all the animosity is done and over with." Corrine replied with a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, well I'm beat. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight, Corrine." Josie replied with a yawn as she closed her eyes.

"Goodnight Josie." Corrine said as she glanced over at her roommate. As she turned her attention to her book and began reading, a sudden thought began to cross her mind. _I wonder how things would have been if Josie and Lucas were dating?_ She then took one more glance at her sleeping roommate and smiled. _She has absolutely no idea how crazy he is about her and how much he's hurting._ She thought as she began reading again. Little did she know that in the upcoming weeks, things would begin to drastically change between the members of the science club.

**Thanks guys! I hope you've enjoyed these two chapters! I wonder if there will be anything happening between Lucas and Josie in the future? Hmmm...Well, you have to read more to find out! Anything can happen in this story! Take care!**


	7. 99 Luft Balloons

**_Hey guys! I hope you are enjoying this fic! I didn't realize that I haven't updated since January! So I hope you like it! Read and enjoy!_**

_**Fast forward to Monday morning before the start of class…**_

"Corrine wake up! You're gonna be late for class! It's 8:50…stop snoring and get your ass up!" Josie yelled in vain as she hit her sleeping roommate two more times with a pillow.

Corrine shifted and groaned in her bed. Josie finally stopped hitting her when she noticed movement. She then threw her pillow back onto her bed. "Get up Corrine…" She demanded once more. Corrine rolled over onto her side and faced Josie, who was now standing impatiently at her bedside with her hands on her hips. "Huh? What time is it?" She uttered in an exhausted tone as she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"It's 8:50 and you have less than 10 minutes to get your ass out of bed and get ready for Z's class!"

Corrine widened her eyes in astonishment and glanced at Josie and then at her alarm clock. "It's 8:50! Why didn't you wake me up earlier!" She jumped out of bed and examined the alarm clock. "And why is the alarm turned off?"

Josie rolled her eyes and walked over to her desk to grab her books. "If you must know Corrine, your alarm never came on! I was relying on that damned thing to wake me up, too. I thought you set the timer last night?"

"I did…at least I _thought_ I did." Corrine replied as she ran to her closet and pulled out her uniform. "Why didn't you wake me up as soon as you got up?"

"_Because, _I had to get ready for class and you didn't hear me calling you through all of that loud snoring you were doing all damn night and all freakin' morning."

Corrine shot an angry glare at her feisty friend. She quickly changed into her uniform and ran to the mirror and attempted to fix her wild, curly hair. Josie rolled her eyes and sat on her bed and patiently waited.

"Oh no what am I going to do with my hair! It's all crazy and uncontrollable!" Corrine wailed as she ran her fingers through her hair.

Josie sighed impatiently as she watched her roommate struggling with her hair. "You have 3 minutes left! Just put on a headband and come on!" Josie said as she walked over to the door and opened it. Corrine quickly put a black headband in her hair, grabbed her books off of her desk, and ran to the door where Josie stood. "How does my hair look? Not too crazy I hope."

Josie examined her best friend from head to toe. She desperately tried to keep a straight face and not burst out laughing at how Corrine's curly locks were tousled on her head. It reminded her of the bad day Corrine had about a year ago…how disheveled and unorganized she appeared. It was as if that day was happening all over again. _God I wish I had a camera to take a picture of this mess!_ She thought as she held in her laugh.

Josie rolled her eyes and yanked her roommate's arm. "Come on…you look fine." She said as they walked out the room and closed the door.

* * *

It was now two minutes until the bell would ring. Marshall, Lucas, and Vaughn sat in science class, desperately trying to stay awake.

"Man…that was some party last night…Marshall stated with a tired smirk on his face.

"Shhh! Marshall! You don't want word getting out that we had a party last night in my room!" Vaughn whispered sternly.

"Oh…yeah right…sorry Vaughn…." Marshall apologized with a chuckle. Lucas glanced at his best friend and shook his head. "I think he's still a little bit wasted…" He then turned his attention to the clock and noticed that his other two friends had not entered the classroom. "Hey guys…where's Josie and Corrine? It's not like Corrine to be late but Josie on the other hand…" His statement was cut short when he noticed Josie and Corrine rushing into the room just as the bell rang. Vaughn, Lucas, and Marshall stared at the girls and suddenly broke out into laughter. Corrine and Josie eyed them oddly.

"What's so funny?" Corrine asked.

"Corrine what happened to your hair? Are you having another bad day?" Lucas teased. Corrine frowned and quickly faced Josie. "I thought you said my hair looked fine?"

Josie scooted her chair over to the right to put more space between her and her angry friend. She smiled at her guiltily and slightly chuckled. "Sorry…I thought you were going for the crazy, wild look?"

Corrine grunted and rolled her eyes and opened her book. "Remind me never to ask for your opinion concerning my appearance…" Marshall walked over to where his girlfriend sat and wrapped his arms around her reassuringly. "Don't worry babe, I love it…I find styling your hair as a disco chick very appealing…" Corrine nudged him roughly in the rib. "Shut up Marshall." He winced from the pain and walked back over to his seat next to Lucas.

At that same time, Professor Z walked into the class and closed the door. He placed his books down onto the desk and was about to speak, until he noticed that Corrine had her hair in an unkempt style. _It's not like her to be so disheveled…she must be having a bad day again…_He thought.

He walked to the front of his desk and stood in front of the class. "Okay class, as you all know, we have exactly 2 ½ weeks left of classes." A few hoots and hollers erupted from the class. "Okay settle down." Z replied. "I've decided to give you all a treat. Instead of a final exam, you will do a project." Once again, the class erupted in noise, but this time there were sounds of whining. "For this project, you all have been assigned partners of the opposite sex. Since I know that a few of you are paired off already…" He stated as he eyed Josie and Vaughn, Corrine and Marshall. "I have picked your partners.

"Hey that's not fair Professor Z, why can't I work with Corrine?" Marshall complained.

"Because Marshall, the object of this project is to see what you have in common with someone you don't really know. The title of this project is called Perceptions, where you and your partner will interpret a few inkblot pictures and tally up the results. Then you will write a report and present your findings on the differences between the male and female brain in front of the class."

"So when is this project due?" Lucas asked.

"On the very last day of class. Since we are not having a final exam, our last day of class is a week and three days from now." Z replied with a smile. "At the end of today's class, each one of you will pick up this packet that contains the inkblot sheets and some background information on what science has found out about the male and female brain. I want you all to come up with your own conclusions…Are there any questions?" Z asked as he glanced around the class. No one raised their hand. "Okay then, with further adieu, here are the partner assignments…Lucas and Tatia, Corrine and Vaughn, Josie and Marshall…"

While Professor Z continued to read the list of names, Lucas caught sight of Tatia staring at him. He returned her gaze and smiled shyly at her.

Marshall noticed their exchange of love glances and patted Lucas on the back. "I told ya buddy…you should _definitely_ make a move. She totally wants you." Marshall chuckled. "The Lukester's got it goin' on…" Lucas felt his face becoming very warm and flushed from embarrassment. He shook his head and laughed at his best friend's remark. "Yeah…whatever Marsh."­­­­­­­­­­

* * *

_**Fast forward to lunch time… **_

The science club sat outside at the French-styled patio tables in the warm, summer air, attempting to eat the food that was on their tray.

"This food tastes like shit today…" Vaughn said with a frown as he spit out a piece of his bologna sandwich onto his tray. "Eww Vaughn, that's gross. If you're gonna spit out food, make sure you spit it out in a napkin." Josie said with a disgusted frown on her face.

"He's right, this food tastes like someone farted on it." Marshall chimed in as he pushed his tray a few inches away from him. Everyone else at the table began to laugh at his funny, yet serious remark.

"Marshall you are so disgusting…" Corrine replied in a soft giggle. "What? It does!" Marshall retorted.

"How would you know how farts taste?" Vaughn inquired, cocking his brow inquiringly. Marshall sat quiet for a moment, while Lucas began to speak.

"Don't pay him any mind…he's still drunk from last night. He tends to talk out of his ass when he's wasted." Lucas retorted, thinking about how Marshall's loose, drunken mouth embarrassed him last night.

"Dude, I am _not_ wasted…I'm perfectly fine…I'm tired and a little bit uncoordinated, but fine." Marshall said defensively. Corrine smiled and began to rub her boyfriend's back comfortingly. "Babe, I think Lucas is right. You did have a tad bit _too_ much wine last night."

"Yeah…not to mention how much excitement we had last night…" Josie replied with an uneasy giggle as she eyed Lucas in particular.

_

* * *

__**Recap to Sunday night…**_

It was Sunday, 9:30pm. The members of the science club decided to have a little fun to celebrate the official last week of classes before they were slammed with finals. They all gathered in Vaughn's room to celebrate.

"Okay guys, here it is…" Vaughn began as he opened his closet and took out a large shopping bag. "I got these from my dad's wine cellar in the basement. This is his best wine and champagne in his collection."

"Wouldn't your dad notice that a few bottles are missing?" Josie asked.

"No…he has hundreds of thousands of these babies down there, not to mention he has his own international wine business. That's where he gets his extra money. He hardly drinks anyway, only on very very special occasions." Vaughn replied as he placed the wine and champagne bottles on his desk.

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about! Let's get these suckers open and start partying!" Marshall exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. Everyone eyed Marshall strangely.

"Aren't we a bit too anxious tonight?" Corrine stated with a slight giggle.

"Yeah Marshall, you are at a 10 right now and we need you down at a 2. We don't want anyone else, especially Durst finding out what we're doing in here…" Josie replied sternly.

Vaughn carefully opened a box in his closet and unwrapped the brown paper that protected a few crystal wine glasses. He then placed them on the desk where the bottles of red wine and champagne sat.

"Wow Vaughn. It's like you have a mini bar in here or something!" Josie said in awe. Vaughn smiled at the redhead and began pouring wine into the glasses. He handed the first two glasses to Josie and Corrine, and then to Marshall and Lucas.

"These wine glasses are beautiful! Are they real crystal?" Corrine asked the jock as she examined her glass.

"Yeah they are…I think my dad had them imported from France." He replied.

"What are you doing with them? Your dad will be pissed if he finds out you have them." Josie stated.

"Please…my dad has too many glasses to even notice I took a few." Vaughn replied as he took a sip of champagne.

"Put on some music! It's not a party without music!" Marshall suggested as he got up from Vaughn's bed and turned on the stereo.

"So…what should we do now?" Corrine asked as she looked over towards Lucas and Josie's direction."

"I don't know…I guess play hearts?" Lucas suggested, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh no, not hearts. We play that damn game every time we're together!" Josie whined.

"I have an idea…" Marshall began as he turned up the stereo and placed his second glass of wine on the desk. He walked over to the other side of the room towards Corrine, who sat in a fold out chair, and extended his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Corrine glanced up at him with wide eyes and placed her hand in his. "Sure." She replied with a smile. Marshall escorted her over to the middle of the room and put one hand on her waist and held her hand with the other. They gazed lovingly into each other's eyes and began to slow dance to Nickleback's song "_I Love You_." "You know this is our song, right?" Marshall asked her sweetly. Corrine smiled. "Yes…it makes me realize how lucky I am to be with you…" She replied and placed her head against his chest. Marshall drew her in closer and wrapped both arms around her waist and rested his chin on her curly brown hair. Lucas, Vaughn, and Josie sat quietly and watched the lovebirds dance. After a few moments, Vaughn glanced over at Josie. She met his gaze and smiled when he nodded his head and motioned for her to come dance. They met each other in the middle of the room and began to dance.

Meanwhile, Lucas sat in a lounge chair by the door, rolling his eyes as he watched his friends dance. It was agonizing, not to mention uncomfortable, for him to sit there all alone, while his friends were all paired off and in love. It was even harder for him to watch Josie and Vaughn dancing together…with their bodies pressed so close together. Lucas had one mind to get up and leave_. No stay, it's not that bad Lucas…you don't want to cause a scene and show Vaughn that you're threatened by him_. He told himself. Lucas reclined in his chair and closed his eyes and waited for his friends to finish their mock prom.

_**A few minutes later…**_

"Marshall get your ass over here and play your hand! Stop drinking all the damn wine!" Lucas yelled as he sat on the floor with the other members of the science club. Marshall gulped down the rest of the red wine and joined his friends.

"Dude…that's gotta be the fifth glass you've had already! Not to mention the full glass of champagne you had! Vaughn retorted in amazement.

Marshall threw out his card. "Crazy eight!" He hiccupped and smiled drunkenly at everyone. His friends returned his smile with disgusted frowns.

"Marshall…what the hell did you just do?" Josie asked.

"_What_? I threw out my two eights…we're playing crazy eights aren't we?" He slurred.

"No! We're playing Gin Rummy!" Corrine exclaimed.

"Oh…sorry. I don't want to play anymore. Let's do something else." Marshall suggested as he placed his cards in the middle of the floor.

"Fine, we might as well…the game's all messed up anyway." Vaughn replied as he gathered everyone's cards and placed them in the card box.

"Okay Marsh…what do you want to do…besides getting drunk?" Lucas asked sarcastically.

Marshall shot daggers at his best friend for a moment and then perked up. "Let's play truth or dare!"

"Oh Lord…" Josie sighed as she shook her head in disbelief. "What are we fifth graders?"

"Okay…I'm going to start…just to shut him up." Corrine replied. "Josie, truth or dare?"

"Dare." Josie replied with a devious smirk.

"Okay, I dare you to bang on Madison's door like a madwoman and run away." Corrine said.

"Gladly." Josie got up and opened the door and snuck quietly down the hall towards Madison's room. Everyone got up and ran outside of Vaughn's room and watched Josie as she banged on Madison's door and hauled ass down the hall and ran back inside Vaughn's room. When they heard the click of the door opening, they all ran back into the room and closed the door. "Who the hell did that!" Madison yelled angrily. "I'm gonna find the son of a bitch who banged on my door! You losers! When no one answered, she stomped back inside her room and slammed the door. When it was safe to make a sound, everyone burst out into laughter.

"Great job Josie!" Corrine said as she patted her best friend on the back. "Thanks…I would have never thought of doing that if you hadn't dared me. That felt pretty damn good!" Josie laughed in triumph.

"Okay okay it's my turn now!" Marshall said as he plopped himself down onto Vaughn's bed. "Lucas…truth or dare?"

Lucas eyed his best friend and carefully picked his options. "Truth."

"Okay Lucas…is it true that you like Josie?" Marshall blurted out.

A huge knot formed in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know how to react to Marshall's comment, but he knew that he felt embarrassed, not to mention, totally pissed off. He had one nerve to get up and punch Marshall in the face, but he knew that Marshall was under the influence of alcohol and probably wasn't aware of what he had said. Everyone in the room looked at Lucas and then stared at Marshall in shock and disbelief. Josie widened her eyes in surprise as she glanced at Lucas, waiting for an answer.

"Marshall! What the hell are you trying to do! Don't ask him that! What's wrong with you?" Corrine yelled with slight disgust in her voice. Marshall eyed her with confusion and then looked at his best friend, and noticed his angry frown. Marshall sobered for a moment and realized that he had asked him the wrong question, at the wrong time. Marshall immediately thought of something constructive to say. "Hey man, you don't have to answer that. My question came out wrong. What I meant to say was…"

"Don't bother…let's just forget about it and play something else." Lucas replied with a straight, agitated face. Everyone dared not say anything until the tension in the room disappeared.

"Okay guys, I think we should call it a night. It's 11 right now and Durst is about to start her night patrol soon." Vaughn said as he got up from the floor and began cleaning up.

"Vaughn's right…come on Marshall, I'll walk you to your room." Corrine said as she stood up and grabbed her inebriated boyfriend's hands to help him stand. Lucas was the first one to leave, followed by Corrine and Marshall. Josie stayed behind to help Vaughn clean up.

"That was weird. Lucas looks pissed." Josie said.

"I know, but I think he'll be fine. He knows Marshall was drunk and didn't mean anything by his question."

"I guess you're right. I just hope there's no drama between any of us tomorrow." Josie said hopefully.

* * *

_**Back to lunchtime Monday… **_

"Sorry Lucas, for last night. You know I didn't mean anything by my comment." Marshall apologized with all sincerity in his voice.

"That's fine Marsh…look I hate to cut lunch short but I gotta go. See you guys later." Lucas replied as he got up and grabbed his tray and left.

Marshall watched solemnly as his best friend walked away. He hated himself even more at this moment, for he knew he upset him. "Remind me _never_ to get drunk again…" He said as he placed his head in the palm of his hands.

Corrine rubbed Marshall's back reassuringly. "Don't worry, he'll be fine…just leave him alone for a while."

"Yeah Marshall I agree with Corrine…" Josie said as she turned around and watched Lucas step inside the school. She had a feeling that Lucas was upset. She knew deep inside her heart that something more had to be bothering him. _Why didn't he say that he didn't like me that way?_ She wondered. She then came to the frightening realization that Lucas still liked her, and it wasn't just platonic feelings. _Oh no, poor Lucas. I gotta talk to him before this gets out of hand…_

_**Hey! How did you guys like it? It only took me a few days to write this one! That's a first! In case you all are wondering where I am getting the weird titles for my chapters, they are all 80's songs. I am an 80's baby, hence 80's freak. I'm sure some of you have heard some of these songs and can share in my dedication to the 80's. Well, that's it for now. I promise you that things will soon come into fruition in the upcoming chapters! Take care! Let me know what you thought! Pretty please with sprinkles on top! Love ya!**_


	8. Hyperactive

**Hey! Ready for another chapter! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing this chapter!**

It was nearing the end of an interesting, yet discomforting day. There were only five minutes left before the bell would ring, signifying the end of classes for the day. Lucas sat anxiously in math class, staring at the clock. He could not wait to run up to his room and tune out the world for the remainder of the day. He had not seen any of his fellow members of the science club since lunch. It was obvious that he was purposely avoiding them because of the embarrassing incident Sunday night. Luckily, none of his friends were in the same math class as him, for he did not feel like being bothered at the moment. It bothered him even more now that Josie knew that he still had romantic feelings for her. What's even worse is that instead of denying Marshall's drunken accusation, he got up and left the table like a coward, letting Josie know the obvious. _Great move Lucas…now she sees that you haven't moved on…What the hell is wrong with you?_ He thought to himself. At the same time, the bell finally rang. Lucas immediately snapped out of his reverie and collected his books. "_Oh thank God_!" He sighed in relief and quickly left the classroom, making sure none of his friends, in particular, Josie, would see him and stop him from reaching his destination. Unbeknownst to him, one of his friends caught sight of him as he ascended the stairs, contemplating whether or not to follow him…

* * *

"So Vaughn, are you ready for the big game this Friday?" Madison asked the handsome star quarterback as he made his way over to his teammates in the field. Vaughn tried his best to ignore his unwelcome visitor, but decided to be polite and return her an answer.

"Yeah…Coach has us practicing extra hard so that we could beat Fillmore this year." He replied as he placed his heavy duffle bag onto the ground.

Madison smiled and stepped closer to him with a devious, flirtatious smile. "Well, like they say…hard work pays off in the end. But I don't think you guys need to practice too hard to beat Fillmore, besides, you have me and the rest of the cheerleading squad as good luck charms to help you win."

Vaughn looked at her and cocked a brow. He was not at all impressed by her so-called efforts of seduction. "Good luck charm or not, we still have to practice extra hard everyday to kick ass on Friday, Madison." He retorted knowingly.

Madison smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder. At the same time Vaughn was being harassed by the school wench, Corrine happened to be coming from the gym. She slowly strolled across the field, preoccupied with tugging on a stuck pocket zipper to her book bag. When she stopped in her tracks, she happened to look up and see Madison and Vaughn talking. By the disgruntled frown on Vaughn's face, she knew that he was bothered by Madison's presence. Corrine smiled and decided that she had to save her friend from the gold-digging skank, as she and Josie rightfully call her. _Why won't she just give it up? The boy does not like her and he never will!_ Corrine thought. As she stood a few feet away from them unnoticed, Madison attempted to make another move on poor, helpless Vaughn.

"Vaughn, stop being in denial. You know that if it wasn't for the cheerleaders going to every game to cheer for the team, you wouldn't have won any of your games now would you?"

Vaughn frowned and rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Oh yeah, now that you mention it, we did win some games…but we've also lost a few with you guys being there too. So you see Madison, it doesn't matter if you cheer for us or not...the team will still win or lose a game. " He replied smugly.

Madison was abruptly lost for words. She smiled and then daringly stepped closer to him, making sure their bodies were within inches of each other. "Well…since we can't be good luck charms for the whole team, why don't _I_ be your personal good luck charm…I promise you that you won't regret it." She replied with in enticing tone.

Vaughn felt a sickening lump form in the pit of his stomach. He flashed a fake grin at her, purposely fooling her into thinking he was interested in her offer. Madison noticed his seemingly interested smile and was about to make another move on him until he began to speak.

"No thanks Madison, I already have a good luck charm…" She wasn't prepared for him to say that, for she knew that he was talking about Josie. The seductive smile on her face turned into an insulted glower. Vaughn brushed her arm off of his shoulder and stepped back with a smirk. Anger and embarrassment suddenly surged through Madison's body. She then placed one hand on her hip and raised a finger at him threateningly.

"You know what, Vaughn? Madison began in a venomous tone. "You can go…" But before she could finish her harsh statement, Corrine quickly walked over to Vaughn, for she knew that this was her cue to butt in before anything else transpired.

"Vaughn!" Corrine shouted as she stepped closer to her friend. Vaughn turned his head and saw Corrine approaching him. He smiled and stepped further away from Madison, who still had her finger pointing at him. He felt a wave of relief wash over him at the very sight of his comrade. Corrine walked over and stood between Vaughn and his aggressor. He was glad that it was Corrine who had come to his rescue. God forbid that if his feisty, redheaded girlfriend would have witnessed Madison coming on to him, there would have been a nasty brawl.

"Corrine!" Vaughn said excitedly.

Madison folded her arms and frowned as she eyed Corrine with disgust. "Excuse me Baxter, but Vaughn and I were having a discussion…if you don't mind…"

Corrine rolled her eyes and then turned around to face Madison, with a irritated, but pleasant smile. "Oh, hey Madison, I didn't see you there. When did you come over here?" Corrine asked, pretending that she never noticed Madison speaking to Vaughn. She purposely stood in front of Madison knowing that it would piss her off. .

"Well I was here way before you came and interrupted us." Madison spat out venomously. Corrine glanced over at Vaughn, who was shaking his head, obviously fed up with the captain of the cheerleading team.

"Vaughn…do you mind that I interrupted your little important discussion?" Corrine asked, motioning her hands in visual quotes.

Vaughn smirked at his friend. "No, not at all Corrine. In fact, I was done talking to Madison." He smiled as he glanced at Madison, who had an angry glower.

Corrine noticed her growing anger and smiled. "Well then that settles it. Madison, consider your little talk with Vaughn over. Vaughn, I think Professor Z wants to see us in his office…now." She said as she turned back to Vaughn and grabbed his arm, yanking him away from Madison. Madison glared at Corrine and Vaughn as they walked away hurriedly.

"You're just pulling him away from me because of Trent!" She yelled. Vaughn and Corrine glanced at each other and burst into laughter as they walked over to the back steps of the school.

"Hey thanks for saving me…" Vaughn said with a warming smile.

"No problem. You're lucky I decided to walk out the back way of the gym. I started to take the other way, but something told me to walk across the field."

"Wow, that's weird…I guess it was divine intervention…" Vaughn replied with a chuckle.

"Yeah I guess so." Corrine agreed.

"Hey, since you saved me from Madison, I guess I should call you my guardian angel, huh?" Vaughn said sincerely.

Corrine smiled at his endearing comment. She thought it was very sweet and kind for her friend to be so grateful for her help. There were only two people in her life that referred to her as an angel and it was her parents. They were both staring at each other for a few moments smiling, until they broke out into laughter. She turned her face away from him when she felt her cheeks blushing with flattery. She then turned back to him and quickly changed the subject.

"So…what was that all about with Madison?"

"Oh…she said that she wanted to be my 'lucky charm' or some crap like that. She's still the same ol' Madison, flirting with me, trying to get me into her bed…"Vaughn replied with a disgusted frown.

Corrine laughed. "I guess she got upset when you told her that Josie was your lucky charm, huh?"

"Yeah she was pissed…" Vaughn replied. He then furrowed his brow and looked at his friend in confusion. "Hey how did you know that?"

"I overheard your whole conversation. I was only a few feet away from you."

"You were there the whole time and you didn't save me sooner! I thought we were buddies Corrine!" Vaughn whined jokingly. Corrine rolled her eyes and continued to laugh.

"I guess I was enjoying the scene too much and I didn't want to interrupt?" She replied coyly.

Vaughn chuckled and shook his head. "That's foul, Corrine…"

"Well, it's a good thing you came when you did because she would have groped me somewhere inappropriate…bad enough she had her hand on my shoulder."

"Yeah, I saw that. You're lucky Josie wasn't out here and saw you talking to her. Even worse, she could have seen her touching you."

"Thank God she wasn't out here or else someone would have been in the hospital." Vaughn chuckled slightly.

"So…anyway, I'm glad I ran into you because I was wondering when you would want to start our science project." Corrine began.

"I guess we can start whenever. It doesn't matter to me…Oh no, wait. It does matter. I have practice everyday until our big game on Friday and then I'll have some free time." Vaughn replied.

"I guess we can start Saturday…" Corrine replied, slightly bummed.

Vaughn noticed her facial expression change from pure joy to utter disappointment. "What's wrong Corrine?"

"Nothing, it's just that…I don't know, I was hoping we could start sooner?"

Vaughn glanced down at the ground and then back at her face, contemplating on when he schedule time for the project. "Don't we have study hall together in the library third period?"

Corrine glanced at him and then a smile appeared on her face. "Yeah we do. Why didn't I think of it before? We could work on our project third period. That way, we'll have everything done on time." She said excitedly.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. That way, we won't have to rush if we started late in the day. I wouldn't want you waiting for me to get back from practice. There's no telling how late Coach will have us practicing. So…tomorrow we start our project third period, right?" Vaughn replied with a smile.

Corrine smiled in agreement. "Third period it is…"

"Then it's settled. We'll start then. Let me get back over to the field before Coach starts looking for me." Vaughn said as he began to slowly jog back over to his teammates. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around and smiled. "Thanks again Corrine! See you later at dinner!"

Corrine waved and began walking up the steps of the school. As she placed her hand on the doorknob, Vaughn's words resounded through her mind for some reason. _You're my guardian angel._

* * *

Lucas lay contentedly on his bed, staring blankly at the posters on his wall. He was relived that the day was finally over. It took him by surprise that he was able to avoid his friends for the past three hours. Part of him was glad for that accomplishment, while the other half, felt guilty and started to miss them…but only a little. _I wonder if they noticed that I don't want to be bothered right now? I guess they got the hint when I left them at lunch_." He wondered.

Soon, pestering thoughts began to run through his temporarily idle mind. He reanalyzed the events stemming from Sunday night through lunchtime that day. He realized that the whole situation wasn't so bad. _Maybe it's good that Josie seems to know that I still like her. It's good to know that you're liked even if you are dating someone else_… He thought. He also realized that the whole Josie thing was not the only thing that plagued his heart…it was the simple fact that all of his close friends, excluding him, were happily paired off. He disliked this fact, for it sickened him to the point where he couldn't stand to be around his twitterpated friends for too long. _If only it was me…and maybe Josie (okay I'm going for a long shot here), or another girl that I liked, who was in a loving relationship. That would make me happy. I guess it doesn't have to be her…there's other girls. There's Tatia…" _He thought hopefully.

At that same moment, his thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Dammit Marshall, you're always forgetting your keys. He sighed as he got up from bed and walked towards the door. "Marshall the door is unlocked; I shouldn't have to open it for you. He said aloud. When he noticed that the person didn't answer, he began to wonder if it was his roommate on the other side. Thinking it was Marshall playing one of his lame tricks, Lucas sighed impatiently and opened the door. As he was about to speak, he stopped. It wasn't Marshall who was standing on the other side, rather it was someone he was surprised to see. He was dumbfounded for a moment as he and his visitor stared uneasily into each other's eyes. He swallowed a large lump in his throat before greeting his guest.

"Hey…"

**So did you like it? Hmmmm...did Vaughn's comment to Corrine seem too friendly or was there something else behind his endearing words? I wonder who's standing at Lucas' door? It could be anyone! Well, you are going to have to stay tuned to find out! Thanks for reading!**


	9. Fascination

**A/N: Here is another chapter for you guys! I was having problems uploading this chapter for some odd reason and I think the server is down. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Those of you who are J/L fans will like this chapter! Enjoy!**

It was late in the afternoon. Classes were finally over for the day. The halls of Blake Holsey were nearly deserted, except for a few students who didn't know what to do with themselves for the rest of the afternoon. Marshall was busily setting up his keyboard for another Magnet 360 rehearsal in the auditorium. He had rushed out of class to make sure that he and his fellow two band mates would have the room all to themselves for the next two hours. As he pulled out his music book and began to press a key on his keyboard, his guitar player, Jarrod, ran excitedly into the room.

"Hey Wheeler look at this!" He said as he held up a bright yellow flyer.

Marshall looked at him in bewilderment. "Uh…it's a blank bright yellow paper. Why are you showing me a _blank_ piece of paper?"

Jarrod shook his head. "No I'm not showing you a blank piece of paper!" He then looked at the paper and noticed that the front was facing him, instead of Marshall. "Oh…" He said as he flipped the paper over so that the printed side faced Marshall. "Read what's on it man!" He said as he handed Marshall the paper.

Marshall took the paper from his hands and began reading it silently. He widened his eyes and looked up at Jarrod briefly and then looked at the paper once more in disbelief.

"Where'd you get this?" Marshall asked exasperatedly.

"Dude, it's hanging on the main bulletin board in the hallway and there's some flyers posted on the trees in the front lawn. This guy drove up to the school with flyers in his hands and asked me to distribute them." Jarrod replied.

Miles, the drummer watched in confusion as his band mates talked excitedly. "Hey Marsh, what does that flyer say that's got you guys' panties all up in a bunch?" He asked impatiently.

Marshall looked at his band mate and smiled wholeheartedly. "It says that the Annual End of School Year Carnival wants local high school bands to compete for a chance to live out their dream to win their very own 4 week summer tour. Winners will participate in amateur summer concerts in Canada and the U.S. The winners will also have copies of their cd distributed out to the audience in all of their touring destinations!"

"Oh hell yeah, we're in!" Miles yelled excitedly.

"Oh and get this…all proceeds from the tour will be earned as compensation for the winning band!" Marshall added excitedly.

"See Wheeler! I told ya it was awesome! I was just too stoked to say it so I had you read it aloud instead!" Jarrod replied.

Marshall stood flabbergasted as thoughts of stardom raced through his head. It had always been his dream of touring and making a cd with his band. They've been working so hard to get heard and noticed around town and now the opportunity came. And it was knocking loudly on the door for them to answer.

"So are we in or what Marsh?" Jarrod asked.

Marshall glanced at his friends and grinned determinedly. "Yeah! Of course we're in! And we're gonna win this sucker, too!"

"So _where_ and _how_ do we enter the contest ?" Miles inquired.

Marshall read the last paragraph that he mistakenly skipped. "Oh crap. It says that all contestants must enter by Friday of this week at the Bourbon Café across the street from the John Wilmot Park where the annual carnival will be held!" He said excitedly as he eyed his friends.

"Dude, what day is it?" Jarrod asked.

"It's Monday! We gotta go and sign up right now before it's too late!" Miles said.

"Yeah we'd better get a move on before all the entry slots are filled!" Jarrod replied.

"Okay guys, let's go, there's no time to waste. I'll drive." Marshall suggested as he and his band mates quickly left the room and made their way to parking lot.

* * *

"Oh, uh…hey Josie." Lucas said awkwardly.

Josie looked at her friend and smiled. "Hey Lucas. Aren't you gonna let me in?"

"Oh…sorry. Come in." He said nervously as he stepped to the side and motioned her in.

Josie walked inside the room and nodded her head. She then took the chair from Lucas' desk and turned it around so that it faced the beds. Lucas closed the door and began scratching his head nervously. As he walked over to sit on his bed, he could feel his heart pounding erratically in his chest. He could feel his blood pressure rising and now his head starting to pound. _Calm down Lucas. You don't want her to see you sweat! Just play it cool, man._ _You're the Lukester…you've got it goin' on…_ He told himself. He sat down coolly on his bed, with his back against the wall.

He could feel Josie's eyes glaring at him, but he dared not look up. Josie was in fact looking at him, but not in the way that he'd hoped. Her face was contorted into a worried, yet concerned frown. She noticed that Lucas seemed nervous around her and was trying to play cool. She thought it to be quite funny, yet flattering that she could have this affect on him. Lucas finally looked up and smiled.

"So…what brings you up to my humble abode?"

"Nothing, really. I just wanted to see how you were doing, that's all. I figured I'd check up on you since no one's seen you practically all day."

Lucas nodded his head and briefly turned his gaze away from her. The awkwardness in the room was intensifying and becoming unbearable. Lucas knew why she was here and wanted to avoid any discussion about what happened Sunday night and lunchtime today. _Quick, Lucas…think of something to say before…Oh no._ His thoughts were cut off when Josie began to mention the inevitable.

"Lucas, the real reason why I came up here was to ask you something." Josie mentioned, her tone low and serious.

_Oh God this can't be good_. Lucas thought as he looked at Josie with wide eyes. "Go ahead Josie, ask away." He replied with a smug, reassuring smile.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about this, but I wanted to know why you didn't tell Marshall that you didn't like me…in that way…" She replied, saying the latter words uncomfortably.

Lucas's heart dropped into his stomach. He was utterly speechless. _Oh no, how do I answer that? Should I tell her that I didn't want her knowing that I still technically do like her? Just play it cool Lucas, play it cool…_ "I don't understand what you're talking about Josie." He blurted out in a squeaky, nervous tone.

Josie frowned suspiciously. She knew damn well that he knew what she was talking about, but he wanted to refrain from answering. But being the determined person that she is, she insisted on knowing. "You know, when we were playing Truth or Dare, Marshall asked if you still liked me."

Lucas widened his eyes as if he just had a moment of clarity. "Oh, you mean _that_. Well I think he meant if I liked you as a friend." He said with a slight, nervous chuckle.

Josie stared at Lucas and smirked. She knew he was still trying to dance around the question. "So…why didn't you answer him? You seemed pretty pissed off that he asked you. You ran away from us at lunch when we brought up what happened Sunday night…"

Lucas's tense smile turned into a frown. _Oh no. She knows! Why didn't I just answer his freakin' question? Why did I have to run away from them at lunch like that? Now it's so obvious to her that I like her. What should I say? Think Lucas, think! _Lucas sighed overpowered, as he looked at his redheaded friend and then down at his hands. He was trapped. He couldn't pretend any longer. He had to tell her the truth. What's there to lose? She already knows anyway…

"I can't believe I'm about to say this…ummm…here it goes." Lucas began apprehensively. "I didn't answer him because I didn't want anyone else, especially you, knowing the truth."

Josie widened her eyes. She still didn't have the answer to her question. Does he still like her or had he moved on? "And what exactly are you trying to say, Lucas?"

Lucas thought for a moment. Should he tell her that he did in fact, still like her? In that instant, he realized that he still had feelings for her, but he knew that they weren't as strong as they were before. Had he completely moved on from her? No, but the transition was continuing and he knew that eventually someone else would replace her. He didn't want to date her as much now as he did a few months ago. But that was okay, wasn't it? Maybe he was holding on to those feelings in hopes that she would break up with Vaughn and he would in some way rescue her and be her new love. But a part of him wanted that to happen, while another, more sensible part said that it wanted to explore more opportunities and that their time had passed. Painful as that realization was, Lucas knew he had to tell her the truth.

"Josie…all I can tell you is that…" He hesitated for a moment and turned his glance away from Josie's curiosity filled eyes. "I didn't want to tell you that I still have feelings for you, but they've changed. I don't have the same feelings that I had for you before…" He looked at her for a moment. Her face was frozen with a questioning frown. She was quiet for a moment until she burst out into laughter. Lucas eyed her strangely, for he did not expect her to respond so abnormally.

"Josie are you alright?" Lucas asked carefully.

"Alright? I'm so freakin' relieved! Lucas why didn't you just say so? All of this tension and awkwardness could have been avoided! You didn't have to go running away from us like a scared child!" She replied in a reassuring, yet serious tone.

In reality, Josie was hiding something in her laugh. It was a combination of hurt, relief, and gladness wrapped all in one. Sure it was awful hearing that someone whom you liked a while ago say that they didn't like you that way anymore. But she had to realize that when she liked Lucas and Vaughn at the same time, she knew in her heart that she liked, no _loved_ Vaughn even more and had no intention on dating Lucas. She was just relieved that the endless love triangle was officially over and no one's heart was broken from its potentially fatal aftermath. _God I don't ever want to go through that again…_she thought as she smiled at her friend.

"You know what, Lucas?" She began, shaking her head.

"What, Josie?" Lucas asked, widening his eyes in anticipation.

"I don't understand you sometimes…"

Lucas smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Well hasn't that always been our story?"

Josie looked at him, slightly taken aback by his comment. She knew that he was right about their incoherent history as friends. They both did things and said things that were not clear to each other, but that was their story. She wondered if he was bothered by the fact that she and Vaughn were dating. The only way she could find out is if she asked him, and she wasn't afraid to do that, but not until the right timing.

Lucas noticed the subtle surprise on her face and smiled at her sincerely. "Look, Josie, just because I don't have those same feelings for you doesn't mean that they've completely vanished. You will always hold a special place inside of me no matter what happens…"

Josie was awestruck at Lucas's charming words. She decided that this was her cue to ask him the question she's been wondering about for the past few months since she's been dating Vaughn.

"Lucas, I've been wondering something for the past few months…" She began cautiously.

Lucas noticed that she was holding back her question and knew that it was going to be much more serious than the first one. "What is it, Josie?"

Josie sighed and looked at her friend straight in the eyes. "Now be completely honest with me. Does it bother you that Vaughn and I are dating?"

Lucas stared at her blankly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to answer her. It was the king of all questions…the one he's been avoiding for nearly a year now. He could feel his heart skip a beat and the tension in the room returning again. _How should I say it? Should I be straightforward or beat around the bush? I should just tell her so that all of this hell can be done and over with_…Lucas thought as he took a deep breath and began to speak.

"To be honest with you, Josie, it did bother me a lot that you two were dating, but that was in the beginning. I'll admit, I was heartbroken and I couldn't understand why you chose him instead of me. I would have rather you chose someone else besides Vaughn…"

Josie sat in silence as she attentively listened to Lucas pour his heart out. She knew that it was hard for him to tell her the truth, but they had to get rid of all the tension and awkwardness that lingered around when it was her, Vaughn, and Lucas in the room together.

Lucas was silent for a moment as he noticed Josie's demeanor. She seemed sad, almost guilty for what he told her.

"Wow, Lucas…I never knew you felt that way. Of course, I knew how you felt about me but I didn't know that it hurt you so deeply…" She said in an apologetic tone.

Lucas smiled at her and nodded his head. "Well I did feel like that at first, but it doesn't bother me so much now as it did then. It took me a while to get used to you guys dating, but when I see how happy you two are, it makes me happy. All I care about is your happiness, Josie."

Josie smiled gratifyingly at her friend. She almost came to tears from his endearing comment, but forced them down. "Well Lucas, I just want to say that I'm sorry that I hurt you. That was not my intention. I'm glad that now all of this weirdness is gone from between us and that there's no hard feelings." She said with a reassuring smile.

Lucas nodded his head and smiled. "Well you're wrong on the weird part, Josie. You forgot that we go to Black Hole High and there will always be weirdness here…" He chuckled.

Josie laughed in agreement. "You are right about that, Lucas. She then got up and walked to the door and placed her hand on the knob.

She turned around and faced Lucas. "Lucas, you know, next time when we play truth or dare, promise me that you'll tell the truth next time so that all of this drama can be avoided?"

Lucas stood up from his bed and walked over to her. "Promise…cross my heart." He replied with a smile as he placed his right hand over his heart and drew a cross on his chest. Josie smiled and turned to open the door.

"Oh, Josie?" Lucas began. Josie turned around and smiled. "Thanks for the talk. I think we really needed to have one."

"Yeah. It was long overdue. I'm really glad we talked. I feel much better now."

"Friends?" Lucas asked as he opened his arms, inviting her to a friendly embrace.

"Friends." Josie replied as she gave him a hug. She then turned around and stepped out of the room and closed the door.

Lucas walked over to his bed and plopped down and laid back. He was happy that he was able to talk to his ex-love interest about the now defunct love triangle. He was proud of himself for being so honest with her by telling her how he felt. He thought it would have been a disaster if she knew that he still had feelings for her, but all was well now. It still bothered him that he would never get the chance to date her, but he was content with being her friend and that he will always have her in his heart, forever.

Yet, there was only one thing he regretted when he held her in his arms for the brief, friendly hug they shared. _Man, I should have kissed her…_

**A/N: So how did you like it? Let me know if you feel that this story is moving too slow or too fast. Not to worry, there will be lots of drama throughout this fic! So thanks for reading! Stay tuned!**


	10. Vacation

**A/N: Here is the next chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it! Make sure you read my author's note at the bottom! Take care and read!**

"Hey Corrine, where's Marshall?" Josie asked her friend as she placed her tray on the table and sat down.

"I dunno. I haven't seen him since English class, and that was sixth period." Corrine replied as she scanned the cafeteria, hoping to see her boyfriend walk through the door.

"It's not like him to be late for dinner. Usually he's the first one sitting at the table eating." Lucas retorted jokingly.

Vaughn walked into the cafeteria and sat down next to Josie and kissed her cheek. "Hey Vaughn, you're not eating?" She asked him curiously.

"No…I'm not that hungry. I had two protein bars before I got here." He replied matter-of-factly.

Josie made a disgruntled frown and glanced at Corrine and then at Vaughn. "Vaughn, don't tell me you're starting that crap with the protein bars again. Remember what happened to you _and_ Lucas, not to mention, almost the whole school _last_ time when you didn't eat anything _but_ protein bars?" She snapped as she glanced at Lucas and then at her boyfriend.

"Jos…_relax_, I'm going to grab a bite with Stu later on tonight. I only eat protein bars right before I have football practice so that I can have something we call _energy_ to function. Besides, these bars have calories and all of that other crap in them." Vaughn retorted, shaking his head.

Josie glowered and cut a piece of her dinner roll and shoved it into Vaughn's mouth. "Eat it!" She demanded. Corrine and Lucas glanced at each other and snickered at the couple sitting in front of them. At the same time, Marshall ran excitedly into the cafeteria and headed towards the table where his friends were sitting.

"Guys! You are _not_ gonna believe what I have to tell you!" Marshall exclaimed breathlessly. Corrine, Josie, Lucas, and Vaughn, who had the dinner roll still stuffed in his mouth, all turned to Marshall and looked at him peculiarly.

"Marshall where have you been? We've been looking all over for you!" Corrine asked impatiently.

"What's with all of the excitement Marsh? Are you happy that you don't need to sleep with the nightlight on in our room anymore?" Lucas asked teasingly.

Marshall shot daggers at his best friend and rolled his eyes. "Ha ha very funny Lucas. Anyway you guys will not believe where I just came from!"

"Well sit down and tell us! Take a breather before you pass out!" Josie suggested.

Marshall took heed to Josie's advice and sat down next to Corrine. "The guys and I just came from the Bourbon Café and entered Magnet 360 into the biggest contest in history!"

"What exactly is this contest?" Lucas asked with interest.

"You know that carnival that's coming in two weeks to the John Wilmot Park? They are showcasing a talent contest for the best high school band in the local area. The winning band gets the chance to tour the U.S. and Canada for 4 weeks in the summer and have copies of their cd distributed to the audience at every concert location!" Marshall answered eagerly.

"Wow that's great Marshall!" Corrine said as she gave her excited boyfriend a firm hug around his neck.

"So…I guess you guys'll be practicing to death everyday for the next two weeks, huh?" Vaughn said as he ate the remainder of the dinner roll.

"Yeah. We _have_ to win. This is the exposure we've been waiting for. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I can't let it slip away." Marshall replied in a serious tone.

"That would be awesome. Touring for almost the whole summer like rock stars." Josie said with a smile.

"Yeah and the best part about it is that the contest winners get paid for touring! All the ticket sales count as salary for the band!" Marshall replied enthusiastically.

"Nice…" Lucas added as he nodded his head in agreement.

"Wow, if you win, you're gonna be gone for the whole summer, huh?" Corrine said in a slightly happy, yet disappointed tone as she glanced at her boyfriend. Marshall noticed her demeanor and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him.

"The tour won't be for the whole summer, Corrine...just about a month or so. Don't worry, if I win, I'll make sure that we spend a lot of quality time together before I leave and when I come back." He replied soothingly as he rubbed the length of her arm comfortingly.

Corrine smiled and nodded her head in agreement. The idea of not seeing Marshall for almost a month bothered her. Even when they didn't see each other for one weekend or for a whole day made it unbearable for them to be apart. Of course she was excited that Magnet 360 would finally have the opportunity to let the world hear their music, and hoped that they would win the contest. But there was a part of her that feared that the distance between them would cause them to grow apart.

"Wow I can't believe that the summer will be here in just two weeks! This year has gone by too fast." Josie mentioned cheerfully.

"Yeah I know…so what do you guys have planned for the summer?" Vaughn inquired.

"Well, as you know, I'm supposed to go to Florida to visit my cousin, Summer. We're planning to go on some sort of road trip." Josie answered.

"Z and I are going to the Scientists of Tomorrow convention in Ottawa for a week and then to another science convention in Nevada for two weeks in late July early August." Lucas answered.

"What about you, Corrine?" Vaughn asked curiously.

Corrine snapped out of her worrisome thoughts and glanced at Vaughn. "I'm not sure yet. I was hoping that Marshall and I could plan a trip somewhere, but it's obvious now that that won't happen."

Marshall removed his arm from around his disappointed girlfriend and sighed. "Corrine, I haven't _even_ performed at the carnival or won the contest yet. We could still plan to take a trip." He said reassuringly as he rubbed Corrine's back.

Corrine turned and looked into her boyfriend's brown eyes and frowned. "Okay, but what if I plan our trip now, buy the tickets, and you win the contest? Now that would be a problem. We won't be able to go on our trip."

Marshall eyed Corrine confusedly and raised his hands in defense. "Whoa there missy, you are looking _way_ too far ahead into the future. I'll tell ya what, let's just put the whole summer vacation plans on the backburner for now, okay?"

Corrine sighed and rolled her eyes. "Marshall we have to schedule our plans now so that we won't run into problems later."

Marshall put his arm around his upset girlfriend again. "Corrine, let's just play it by ear, okay? If fate causes me to win the contest, then I will make sure that we spend so much time together that you'll get sick of me. And when I come back, we can go wherever we want." He replied sweetly as he pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.

"Okay, so let's say if you _do_ win, when would you leave?" Corrine inquired.

"They told us since the carnival is the last week in June; the winners would leave the first week of July…" Marshall responded.

"Wow that's quick! If you win, you won't have any time to celebrate with anyone!" Lucas mentioned.

"I think it's possible, you have to make sure that you celebrate that night after the carnival." Marshall replied assuredly.

"So you think you're gonna win this Marsh?" Vaughn asked.

"Yeah, from what the guys and I saw at the café, it looks like we have a 100 chance of winning." Marshall replied confidently.

"And if you _don't_ win, what are you gonna do for the summer?" Josie asked.

"Spend my time with my _darling_ Corrine…that has always been my number one plan for the summer, anyway." Marshall replied with a sweet smile as he looked at his girlfriend. Corrine smiled at Marshall's endearing words and placed her head on his shoulders.

"What are you going to do for the summer, Vaughn?" Lucas asked as he placed a potato chip in his mouth.

"My dad wants me to go to Penn State for a science program. Pearadyne is sponsoring a pre-college program for students in grades 11 and 12." Vaughn answered.

"What are you going to do there?" Marshall asked.

"It's a 5 week program that gives you a chance to focus on any area in science that you are interested in. Instead of waiting to get to college to study your major, you can get a head start this summer. It's great exposure if you want to know what college life is like, but the college students won't be there, of course, since it's their summer vacation, too. You guys should sign up with me so that I won't be alone." Vaughn replied.

"When does it start?" Lucas asked.

"The second or third week in July. I forgot what my dad said."

"I can't go." Lucas mentioned.

"Well you know _I'm_ not going. It's my summer vacation. School isn't in _any_ of my plans." Josie retorted, shaking her head.

"How about you guys? It's pretty up in the air for you two." Vaughn asked Corrine and Marshall.

"If I'm not touring, I'll go." Marshall replied.

"I'll go, but I have to think about it first." Corrine replied with an uncertain smile.

"You should go, Corrine. I think you'll enjoy studying all summer, unlike me…" Vaughn retorted jokingly.

"Yeah, but it's all the way in the States. I've always loved to travel, but…I don't know. Let me think it over and I'll get back to you." Corrine replied.

"Okay, no problem. Durst is supposed to make the announcement tomorrow morning and whoever is interested can sign up and they will have a meeting with her and my dad in the gym one day this week after school." Vaughn replied.

Josie glanced at her watch and began gathering her things and stood up. "I gotta go guys. I have to study for finals. Vaughn I'll see you later after your dinner date with your _sweetie_ Kubiak." Josie retorted jokingly as she turned to leave. Vaughn smiled and winked an eye and patted her on her lower back.

"See ya later Josie." Her friends replied as she headed out the cafeteria door.

* * *

On her way to the staircase, Josie noticed Professor Z and three unfamiliar people coming out of his office. _That's odd; I've never seen them here before. They don't look like any of the student's parents_. She thought. When she leisurely walked past the group, she caught Professor Z's glance and smiled. Z smiled back and nodded his head at her as she began her ascent up the staircase. When she was finally out of their sight, she walked to the second landing of the staircase and sat down to listen to Professor Z's conversation, making sure she was clearly out of view.

"I hope you take great consideration in this opportunity we have presented to you Professor Zachary…" One man said.

"It's a great opportunity and I'll certainly think it over. Thank you for coming." Professor Z replied.

"Thank you for having us here. We truly appreciate your hard work and admire the dedication you have for your students. They are very lucky to have you here…" A woman's voice replied.

"Yes, I agree…and I tell them that everyday." Professor Z chuckled as the three people began to laugh at his joke.

Josie got up from where she sat and walked down a couple of steps when she heard the laughter and footsteps approaching the front door of the school. She peered downstairs and saw Z holding the door open for the three people as they walked out of the building. When Z turned around, he stood at the door and began to read a few sheets of paper, deep in thought. He stopped reading after a few moments and began to walk back slowly to his office. The whole time Professor Z was reading, Josie studied his body language intently. She observed that he seemed disturbed…slightly worried about something. She has seen Professor Z worried in the past, but never to the point where there was mere panic expressed on his face.

_Something must be going on and it seems to be pretty big…_She thought. _It has to do with those people he met with. Who the hell are they and what did they want with Z?_

Instead of running down to Z's office to ask him about his meeting with the mysterious businessmen, Josie decided to head back to her room to study. She didn't want Z knowing that she was eavesdropping in on his conversation and figured that it was none of her business to know what was going on. But she couldn't shake an unrelenting ominous feeling inside her that all was not well with her beloved Professor…

**A/N: Hey! Thanks for reading! I hope you guys got the gist of where the gang will go for the summer. Hmmm...I wonder why those people met with Z? What is going on with him? Just remember that this is part one of the two part series I spoke about in the summary. Part 1 leads up to part 2! The summer will be the catalyst for everything that will happen between them!** **Stay tuned!**


	11. She Blinded Me With Science

**A/N: Hey Guys here is another chapter! I hope you like it! I had a little writers block but hopefully you will enjoy it!**

_Fast forward to Thursday…_

It was now in the middle of third period. Corrine sat in study hall busily writing notes from a science book that lay in front of her. She and Vaughn had been working hard on their science project for the past three days now, and surprisingly, they were almost finished. Vaughn sat on the opposite side of her; with his head buried in a thick novel sized book entitled _The Male and Female Brain_. After a few moments, he began to find it quite difficult to continue reading. His head was beginning to hurt and his eyes seemed to play around with the positioning of the words. This had been happening to him for quite sometime now. He figured that it was nothing to be alarmed about and that he was probably tired from strenuous football practice for the past few days. He placed the book down onto the table and laid his head in the palm of his hands. _Kubiak and I really need to stop head butting each other with our helmets_…He thought.

At the same time, Corrine happened to glance up from her book and noticed that her science partner was massaging his head. She frowned at him for a few moments as she tried to figure out what was wrong.

"Vaughn are you okay?" She asked in a soft whisper.

Vaughn lifted his head from the palm of his hands and looked at her. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think I need to take a break from reading for a few minutes…my head feels like it's about to explode."

"Do you need to see the nurse? Maybe she could give you an aspirin or something." Corrine suggested.

"No I'm fine…I think that I'm just tired from all of the football practice I had this week and plus I've been staying up late studying. I think that everything is catching up to me…" He replied with an exhausted smile. Corrine continued to stare at him worriedly, for she knew that something was wrongWhen she looked closely at his eyes, she noticedthat they were red and a little swollen and had dark circles around them.

"Vaughn your eyes are a little swollen. Are you sure you are okay?" She asked worriedly. Vaughn looked at her in disbelief and started to touch his eyes. The skin did feel a little chafed, and puffy, but he disregarded it as nothing unusual.

"Oh...yeah they are. I have been rubbing them too much. Don't worry, the puffiness will clear up in a few minutes or so..." he replied with a reassuring grin. Corrine smiled back half-heartedly, for she couldn't shake the feeling that something was up. _This is odd, I've never seen Vaughn this way before. Maybe he needs to relax a little._ She thought.

"You know, maybe you should eat something else besides protein bars before you have football practice. Even though the ones you eat are entirely different from the crap you and Lucas ate, they still aren't enough to sustain your energy." Corrine replied in a worried, yet informative tone.

Vaughn smirked and chuckled. "Okay Dr. Baxter thanks for your diet recommendations. I'll eat something _else_ besides protein bars before practice."

"You'd better. I don't want to tell Josie that you've been wearing yourself out so much and not eating as much as you should. She'll probably shove something else towards you if you're not careful." Corrine chuckled.

"Yeah…I wouldn't want that to happen." Vaughn laughed. "Enough about me. Why don't we talk about you…?"

Corrine glared at Vaughn with a clueless frown. "What about me?"

"I noticed that you've been daydreaming the whole time we've been in here. You would write your notes for a few minutes and then start dazing off."

Corrine maintained her smile and shook her head in disagreement. "Oh that? I do that sometimes when I'm taking notes and reading. I have to take my eyes off the book to think about what I just read."

Vaughn stared at her in disbelief. "I don't think so Corrine. You had a look on your face that showed that something was bothering you. Why don't we take a break and talk about it?"

Corrine placed her pencil down onto the table. She knew exactly what was bothering her the whole time she was studying and didn't feel like talking about it_. I wish I was better at hiding my facial expressions when I'm upset_. She chided herself... "No, Vaughn I'm fine…_really_."

"NO you are _not_ okay Corrine. I won't leave you alone until you tell me what's on your mind…so out with it!" He said in a serious, yet playful tone.

Corrine reluctantly closed her book and glowered at Vaughn. She was uncomfortable, yet relieved that she would be able to relieve the stress that was plaguing her heart and mind.

"Okay, fine. I'm just…I don't know, concerned about everything. It's about this whole summer. Since it's our very last summer break while we're at Blake Holsey, I want this time to be the best one I've had in my whole entire life. I'm worried that I won't get a chance to have fun and…"

"Let me guess, you're worried about you and Marshall, right?" Vaughn interrupted with a smile.

"Yeah…not only him per se, but I don't know what I want to do for the summer." Corrine replied in a soft, disappointed whisper.

"Is everything alright between you two? It doesn't seem like you guys are having any problems from what I see. You guys make out every time I turn around!" He joked.

Corrine smiled and chuckled a little. "Everything is fine with us. In fact, it couldn't be any better. I just wanted Marshall and I to spend some quality time together before either of us are swamped with our own individual plans."

"You guys'll be able to spend some time together. Just don't stress out over it. Schedule the time when you want to see each other and everything will be fine." Vaughn suggested with a reassuring smile.

"That's just it! I keep telling him that we need to schedule our time together since we both have busy schedules and he keeps telling me that we should just _play it by ear_…" Corrine replied in an irritated tone.

"I'm sure Marshall probably told you that because he doesn't want to feel like he's scheduling an appointment with you just as if he was scheduling an appointment with the doctor or Durst or somebody. He's even told me himself that he would drop everything just to spend time with you. He said that he can't stand it when he doesn't see you for a whole day. Personally, I think that's too much for me, but trust me; he's just as concerned as you are. You have absolutely nothing to worry about." Vaughn smiled.

Corrine smiled and thought about what Vaughn had said. Maybe she was panicking and blowing everything out of proportion. _I should just relax and play it by ear instead of scheduling time with him. That's absurd. I don't want the same thing happening to us like it did last year…_She thought as memories of the infamous girl, Diana Music and the rift she put between her and Marshall, flashed through her mind.

Corrine sighed and looked at Vaughn. "You're right. I have nothing to worry about. I should just take it easy…"

Vaughn nodded his head in agreement. "Since you don't have any summer plans, maybe you should really consider signing up for the Penn State summer program I told you guys about the other day. I already signed up. I guarantee you'll like it. You'll experience college life, learn science, study…"

Corrine smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah I know but Marshall won't be there to experience it with me."

"I know, but I won't have Josie with me either. You have to realize Corrine that you and Marshall won't be able to experience the same things in life. He has one path and you have your own. It sucks that you guys may not see each other for a while during the summer, but that's okay. I mean, look at me and Josie. I won't be able to see her until mid-August." Vaughn replied with a saddened face.

Corrine widened her eyes in shock. "Mid-August? I thought she was only going to be in Florida for a few weeks?"

"Nope. She wants to visit a few states with her cousin and visit all of these sites that she has written down in her journal. She told me that she had always wanted to see those sites since she was a child. It's really important to her. I was totally bummed when she told me that, but if that would make her happy, then I'm happy. I'll do all I can to keep myself busy and try not to think about her so much. This summer program will help me." Vaughn replied.

"Wow she never told me that…" Corrine replied. She then sat quiet for a moment and thought about everything and knew that she had to do something constructive for the summer or else she would regret it. Vaughn did have a point; the summer program was a great opportunity to experience college life, which she had been wondering about for the past few months. It would be great to get a head start on college curriculum so that she will know what to expect next year. She sighed and glanced at her friend.

"I'll think it over okay Vaughn?"

Vaughn smiled and sat back in his seat. "You'd better. The sign up sheets are on the main bulletin board. My dad and Durst are holding a meeting today at 3:30 in the gym for the students who signed up. Today's the last day to sign up so I'd hurry if I were you. Spots are limited."

Just then, the bell rang. Corrine and Vaughn gathered their belongings and headed out of the library.

"Vaughn?" Corrine began as she opened one of the library double doors.

"Yeah Corrine?" Vaughn replied with a smile as he held the door open for her.

"Can you keep this conversation we had between the both of us?" Corrine inquired in a whisper.

Vaughn smiled and nodded his head. "Sure Corrine. No problem. I'll keep this between us. But, you have to speak to Marshall more about this." He said as he patted her on the shoulder.

Corrine smiled and stepped out of the room. "Thanks…I'll make sure I speak to him when he has free time…whenever that will be."

Vaughn closed the door as he stepped out of the room behind his worried friend and began to walk besides her down the hall. At the same time they made their wall down the crowded hallway, Marshall emerged from one of the classrooms. He looked up from his watch and noticed Corrine and Vaughn heading towards him.

"Hey guys!" Marshall said cheerfully as he stood in front of them.

"Hey Marsh! How's it goin'? I feel like I haven't seen you in a while. I guess it's because of band practice, huh?" Vaughn replied.

Marshall nodded his head in agreement and glanced at Corrine. "Yeah, we've been practicing non-stop. I think my fingers are about to fall off and my ears are going deaf." He chuckled.

"Yeah well don't practice too much and stay hidden for a long time. People will start to think that you've become invisible again." Vaughn warned jokingly.

Marshall chuckled and placed his arm around Corrine and gave her a half hug. Corrine smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Well guys, I'll see you later. I gotta go to gym class. Corrine…remember what I said. Think about it okay?" Vaughn said as he began to walk away towards the front doors.

Corrine smiled and nodded her head. "Okay Vaughn. Thanks again!" She called to her science partner.

Marshall removed his arm from around his girlfriend and stood in front of her. He lifted her chin so that their eyes could meet. "So what does Vaughn want you to think about?" He asked curiously.

Corrine smiled and gazed into his brown eyes. "He wants me to consider signing up for the college summer program with him, since you guys can't go…" She replied in a weary, somber tone. .

Marshall smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist as they began to head to their next class. Corrine was still plagued by her worries and decided that something had to be done to relieve her stress. Marshall began to feel uneasiness in the atmosphere as they continued to walk silent down the hall. When they finally reached their English Literature class, Corrine suddenly turned around and faced her boyfriend with weary eyes.

Marshall noticed the urgency that lurked inside her beautiful brown eyes. He knew that something had to be wrong, for he had never seen her this disturbed. His heart began to pound erratically as unsettling thoughts began to race through his mind.

"Corrine what's wrong?" He asked concernedly as he caressed her face.

Corrine sighed and grabbed his hand. "We have to talk…"

**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I wonder what's going on with Vaughn and what is Corrine going to talk to Marshall about? Stay tuned and thanks for reading! Review if you dare!**


	12. Pale Shelter

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's another chapter! I hope you guys like it! I truly appreciate you guys fro reading and reviewing this fic as well as my other stories! Don't worry, we are going to get to part 2 soon so please be patient!**

* * *

After Vaughn left his two love stricken friends alone in the hallway, he embarked on his short distance trek to the gym. He walked across the field and to his great horror, spotted Josie and Madison talking in front of the building. He was a short distance away from the girls and couldn't hear if they were bickering or having a civil conversation. He cautiously approached them, making sure he was a safe distance away, in order to hear what was going on.

"What are you talking about Madison?" Josie said in an irritated tone, as she held one textbook in her hand and had her book bag hanging on her shoulder by one strap.

"I'm just saying that it's the ending of the school year and I wanted us to come to a truce…stop this animosity between us. You know we'll be seniors next term, right?" Madison said with pure sincerity in her voice.

"_Yeah._ And your point _is_?" Josie countered sarcastically.

"My point is that we are young adults now and there shouldn't be any bitterness between us." Madison replied with a phony smile.

Josie rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Madison, in case you haven't noticed, we've **never** been friends. Since the first day I came to Blake Holsey, you've always rolled your eyes and made fun of me for some reason. At first, I thought you had a crush on me, but then I realized that you had nothing better to do with your life and making people miserable brought happiness to you. It doesn't make any sense for us to _"call a truce"_ and become friends because it's pointless."

Madison glanced down at the ground and then back at Josie, speechless. She knew that Josie was right. They had never been friends and the fact that she would risk her reputation to become friends with her was in fact senseless, on her part. But she had a hidden agenda. She just hoped that Josie wouldn't figure it out right away.

"Yeah I know Josie, but let's just let bygones be bygones and put all hard feelings in the past…okay?" She said with a fake smile.

Josie eyed her rival carefully. She was not convinced that Madison really wanted to end their long feud and become friends. She was suspicious as to why Madison was having a sudden change of heart. Maybe it's because tomorrow was the big game…or she wanted something from her. She was sure that whatever was Madison's reason for being nice had to do with one person…Vaughn. Josie shook her head in frustration and disbelief before answering her adversary.

"You know, you've got to be kiddin' me. Are you serious Madison? What kind of crap are you trying to pull? I know that the _real _reason for all this phoniness has to do with…"

"Vaughn!" Madison said enthusiastically as Vaughn coolly approached Josie from behind. He wrapped his arm around his red-headed girlfriend and planted a soft, loving kiss on her head.

"Here let me hold this for you." He said as he slowly grabbed the textbook from Josie's arms…incase she decided to use it on Madison.

He then eyed Madison with a stern warning that clearly stated not to start any trouble. Madison noticed Vaughn's threatening glare and smirked, in efforts to hide her increasing discomfort and jealousy.

"What's going on here?" Vaughn asked as he continued to stare accusingly at Madison.

"Oh nothing…just chit-chatting about a few things." Madison replied with a snide smirk.

Josie rolled her eyes and looked at Vaughn, who returned her gaze with a sweet smile. By the annoyed look on Josie's face, he could tell that Madison, for some reason, wanted to be civil with his girlfriend. He knew that her intentions were deceitful and that she not only wanted something from Josie, but from him as well. The awkwardness between the three students intensified. Madison was ready to break out of her façade and tell them what was really on her mind. But she couldn't. She wanted to show Vaughn that she was a mature young woman and that she could get along with Josie…even though she hated her guts!

Madison's whole charade was a ploy in getting Vaughn to see that she is a decent human being. She needed to do something drastic to show him that Josie was immature and not right for him. She would do anything low to get what she wanted…even becoming friends with her foe seemed like the most logical thing to do. Even though it seemed impossible, she needed to trick Josie into becoming her friend. That would give her an opportunity to pounce on Vaughn and take him away from her. Little did she know, her efforts would prove to be meaningless and unattainable, for there was something unexpected awaiting her in the near future...

Madison cleared her throat and shifted a little before speaking. "I gotta go to class. It was nice talking to you Josie!" She said as she began to walk slowly past Josie. When she passed Vaughn, she made sure that her eyes were locked with his. "Oh and Vaughn…I enjoyed our time together the other day…Tootles!" She mentioned snidely as she walked away hurriedly.

Josie glared at Madison, who was already at the school steps before she could say anything to her. She looked at her confused boyfriend, who was also staring at Madison with disgust written all over his face.

"What is she talking about Vaughn?" Josie glowered.

Vaughn turned to his girlfriend and shook his head in annoyance. He had a feeling that Madison would be childish enough to make Josie think that something happened between them. He knew that Madison believed that their insignificant, two-minute conversation a few days ago was something more than just _that_.

"Oh God here we go again…" He said dejectedly as he put his arm around Josie and walked inside the gym…

* * *

Meanwhile, another science club member found himself facing a dilemma as he sat in math class, next to his science project partner. Lucas had been working on his science project with Tatia since Tuesday night. It had amazed him how fast they had become close friends over the past three days. He felt like he knew everything about her, since they discovered that they both shared the same interests. He had found himself beginning to have feelings for her, but they were much more intense than last year.

The whole time they worked together, Lucas felt a little nervous when she was around, for his heart began to pound erratically in his chest. He would find himself fumbling and stuttering every time she looked at him. Even the slightest touch from her hands would take his breath away.

For the whole time class had been in session, he would sneak quick glances at her. Tatia caught him about two times and smiled at him in response. _She's gotta know by now that I like her…_He thought. _Maybe I should ask her out this weekend, that shouldn't hurt at all. I could just tell her that it would be a nice break from our project…yeah, I'll tell her that…_

His thoughts were interrupted by the loud ringing of the bell. Lucas coolly stood up to gather his books. Tatia did the same and turned to him and smiled. Lucas' heart stopped beating for what seemed like an eternity. She was about to turn around and leave the room until she heard him call her name.

"Tatia…can I ask you something?" Lucas said with a nervous, high pitched voice.

"Yes, Lucas?" She replied in her thick, Italian accent and smiled sweetly.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "I was just wondering…um…" He began as his heart kept pounding and his palms became sweaty. _You can do this, Lucas. You're the Lukester, you've got it goin' on, remember?_ He scolded himself. "I was wondering if you would…"

"Hey Tatia! Can you come here for a minute?" Another student, Reese, who was standing outside the classroom door, motioned for her to come. They both looked at the intruder, who had a charming grin, leaning coolly against the entrance of the room. Lucas rolled his eyes and cursed in his head at the interruption. Tatia turned her attention back to Lucas and smiled.

"Lucas I have to go. Could we talk again later? If it's important I can stay and tell him that I will come to him later."

Lucas glanced at Reese and then at Tatia. He wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to ask her out in front of her ex-boyfriend. "No…it can wait. I'll see you later today to work on the project."

Tatia smiled and nodded her head. "Okay Lucas. We can work together in your room after dinner okay?" She replied as she placed her hand on his and turned around and walked over to Reese.

Lucas stared in defeat as he watched the ex-couple walk down the hall. _"Why didn't I just say it? I hate it when I get all cowardly and tongue tied like that!_" He thought to himself as he picked his books off of the desk and left the classroom, sulking in misery...

_

* * *

__Later on after school…_

Vaughn sat on the second row of bleachers in the gym, waiting for the summer program meeting to begin. He looked around the area and noticed that he was the only one there. He glanced at his watch and realized that he was fifteen minutes early. "No wonder why no one's here, I'm too early!" He said to himself as he sat back and relaxed. It had been a long day and he couldn't wait for it to end. The only thing left was the grueling football practice he had right after the meeting. He knew that the coach would be extra hard with the team today since it was the last practice before the big game tomorrow.

He was already slightly worn out from the conflict Madison tried to start between him and Josie. It had taken him all but ten minutes to explain to his rebel girlfriend that he never spent _any_ time with Madison and that they only had spoken for a few minutes until Corrine came and saved the day. _"She's lucky that Corrine was there instead of me, because all hell would have broken loose."_ Josie's words resounded through his mind. He smiled at the memory of how cute she looked when her cheeks flushed red and her face pouted in anger. _"Oh, Jos…you are truly one hell of a fighter.."_ He sighed with a slight chuckle. But he promised to make it up to her…some how.

After a few minutes, he heard echoes of footsteps walking into the gym. He opened his eyes and saw four students walking towards the bleachers.

"Hey Vaughn!" The students called out as they sat on the opposite side of him.

"Hey." He replied with an exhausted smile.

A few seconds later, Principal Durst, along with Victor Pearson, walked inside. Victor greeted his son with a smile and a nod, and Vaughn returned his warm greeting with a smile. He glanced at his watch and noticed that it was two minutes to 3:30. He looked at the entrance door to see if Corrine would be the next one to step in, but to his disappointment, another person came inside instead. _"I guess she's not coming. She would have been here by now."_ He thought as he sighed and began to move his book bag away from the spot he saved for her. Just as he was about to make room for another student, he happened to look up to find Corrine hurriedly making her way over to the bleachers. He smiled and moved his bag over to the side as she sat down.

"I thought you weren't going to come because I noticed that it was getting late. I was about to give up your seat to a very lucky person…" He said with a smile.

Corrine smiled. "Sorry I'm late. I was tied up with Marshall…"

Vaughn widened his eyes in surprise as a sly grin slowly formed on his face. "Why Corrine, I'm shocked! I never thought that you would be into that kind of stuff!"

Corrine frowned and nudged Vaughn in his arm. "Vaughn, get your head out of the gutter! You know what I meant! I had a talk with Marshall today…"

Vaughn laughed and patted her shoulder. "I know Corrine…I know, I'm just teasing. So…how did your talk go with him? Did you tell him all of your concerns?"

Corrine sighed and shook her head. "Yeah, we first spoke for like two minutes right after you left, but we didn't get to finish because the bell had rang and we had to get inside the classroom. We couldn't finish after class because we had to rush and get to wherever we had to go and we didn't see each other up until a few minutes ago."

"Wow, sounds like a real pain. I'm just getting a headache now hearing about it." Vaughn chuckled. "So what did Marshall say?"

"I told him how I felt about us not being able to see each other a lot during the summer and that I did plan on coming to this summer program. He was okay with it, but he was just as bummed as me about how long we would be apart. But we did schedule to take a trip together two weeks before school starts, since that will be the only time we can spend together." Corrine replied with a glowing smile.

Vaughn nodded his head and patted her back. "That's great! See I told you just to talk to him about your concerns and then everything will be okay. So where are you guys planning to go?"

"We're thinking about two places…either my parent's summer home in Hawaii or a trip to Rome!" Corrine answered excitedly.

"Wow that's great! Now I'm jealous! If you don't mind me asking…how long were you two talking?" Vaughn inquired as he eyed Corrine suspiciously.

Corrine began to blush as she remembered that she and Marshall did more kissing than talking. "We spoke for about maybe ten or fifteen minutes." She replied coyly.

Vaughn frowned and started to laugh, as he realized the reason for her being late... "So…what were you doing for the remaining fifteen minutes that made you late for the meeting huh?" He teased.

Corrine rolled her eyes and laughed. "Vaughn! That's none of your business…" She replied jokingly as she poked his arm.

"Miss Baxter…and I thought you were a goody-two-shoes." Vaughn replied jokingly as he shook his head… "But anyway, I'm glad you decided to sign up and join me."

Corrine smiled and nodded her head in agreement. "I'm glad I signed up, too. But something tells me that we're in store for one crazy, unforgettable summer…"

**

* * *

****A/N: Hey thanks for reading guys! I wonder what's in store for Madison in the near future? What's going to make their summer crazy and unforgettable? I won't update until 2 weeks from now, but not to worry! I am working on my next chapter! Stay tuned...there's more and more to come! Take care!**


	13. Mickey

A/N: Hey guys! I am so sorry that I haven't updated! I had serious writer's block, but I'm back! There's still a few chapters left in part 1 and then there drama will start! Thank you for sticking with this fic and the others that I have written! It's meant a lot to me! So read and enjoy!

* * *

It was finally Friday, the day of the big football game against Fillmore. There were only two minutes remaining in the game. The students of Blake Holsey and Fillmore sat anxiously in the bleachers, cheering on their respective schools. The roar of the crowd intensified with every passing second as the football players took their positions on the field. Vaughn took the defensive position behind one of his teammates and placed the ball onto the ground. As he waited for the referee to blow the whistle, he glanced up and noticed Josie cheering him on. He smiled and winked at her. Finally, the referee blew the whistle. An adrenaline rush shot throughout Vaughn's body. He quickly picked up the football and scanned the area, searching for an open teammate. He spotted Kubiak in the distance. 

"Pearson! I'm open man!" Stu yelled as he motioned for Vaughn to throw the ball.

Just as Vaughn attempted to throw the ball, he was violently tackled. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as the four players from the opposing team collided with his body. The roar of the crowd fell silent as Vaughn's body fell hard onto the earth. The whistle blew twice, signaling a time out. The opposing players got up on cue, revealing Vaughn's limp body face down on the ground.

"Oh no…Vaughn!" Josie exclaimed as she stood up on the bleachers. Marshall, Lucas, and Corrine looked on in horror, as their friend lay motionless on the ground.

"Somebody help him!" Josie yelled as she attempted to run onto the field, but was held back by Corrine.

At the same time, the coach quickly ran over to Vaughn and turned him onto his back and removed his helmet. The football team quickly ran over to the horrific scene, forming a circle around Vaughn and the coach.

"Stand back everyone and let him breathe!" Coach said frantically, lifting his hands to push the curious players away. "Pearson! Pearson can you hear me? Wake up!" He yelled as he gently shook him.

After a few long, agonizing minutes, Vaughn finally regained consciousness. He grunted and slowly opened his eyes. His sight was blurry for a few moments. When his eyes finally came into focus, he was startled to find that there were what seemed to be hundreds of pairs of eyes bearing down on him, nearly startling him to death.

"Pearson! Are you okay?" Coach asked once again worriedly.

Vaughn looked around confusedly before answering. "What…what happened?"

"You were tackled by Fillmore…" Kubiak spoke up, anger spewing from his voice.

"Oh…"Vaughn replied.

"Come on, time to get up Pearson." Coach said as he began to lift up his body to help him stand. When Vaughn placed his left hand onto the ground, he felt the sharpest pain pierce through his arm.

"Ow! God that hurts!" Vaughn shouted as he sat up and held his wrist.

"What's wrong?" The coach asked as his fellow teammates looked at him helplessly.

"My wrist…it hurts…I think it's broken…" He replied in an exhausted, yet painful tone.

"That's great! Now how the hell are we gonna beat Fillmore?" Kubiak yelled as he glared at the opposing team.

"We gotta bench you Pearson. Come on, let's go. I'll notify Mr. Pearson and have him take you to the hospital to get that wrist checked." The coach said as he helped him stand to his feet. As Vaughn and the coach walked over to the sideline, the atmosphere erupted into a collective sound of clapping and cheering from the spectators in the bleachers.

"He's okay! Vaughn!" Josie yelled as she walked down the bleachers and ran to Vaughn, who was now sitting down on the sideline bleachers with a bag of ice on his wrist.

Vaughn greeted her with a weary smile, trying to cope with the throbbing pain in his arm.

"Vaughn, you're okay! You scared me half to death! What happened out there?" Josie said as she examined her boyfriend's physical appearance.

"I blacked out for a moment and I think that I broke my freakin' wrist. Now I'm benched for the remainder of the game." Vaughn retorted with slight anger and disappointment in his voice.

Josie smiled and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. Vaughn grinned and looked at her. "Don't worry…there's only two minutes left in the game and we're already beating Fillmore. You played a great game today, Vaughn. You should be really proud of yourself."

Vaughn sighed and nodded in agreement and watched as the two football teams assembled onto the field.

"Yeah…I guess you're right. We did clobber them today didn't we?" He turned to Josie and smiled. "Hey, my dad's going to take me to the hospital. Do you wanna come?"

Josie smiled and placed her hand on top of Vaughn's right hand. "Sure. I'd like that."

Vaughn grinned and winked his left eye at her. "Thanks Jos." He replied as he turned his attention back to the game.

* * *

"Touch down!" Blake Holsey wins the championship again for the fourth year in a row!" The sports announcer yelled excitedly as the Blake Holsey students erupted in cheer.

"Oh yeah! Fourth year in a row baby!" Marshall yelled excitedly as he stood up from his seat.

"We should go celebrate!" Corrine said excitedly as she clapped her hands.

"Yeah, but I don't think that Vaughn and Josie will be with us…They'll probably go out and celebrate with the team." Lucas mentioned.

"Well we don't have to go out tonight…there's always tomorrow." Corrine replied optimistically.

Marshall, Corrine, and Lucas began to make their way down the bleachers to go visit Vaughn. As they began to walk across the field, Marshall suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Marshall what's wrong?" Corrine asked as she looked at her boyfriend. She noticed that there was slight fear and worry in his eyes. She looked in the direction of where he was staring, but failed to see what was the cause of his grief. Lucas walked up behind them and stared at the couple confusedly.

"What's wrong? I thought we were going to see Vaughn?"

"I don't know. Marshall is the one holding us up. He won't tell me what's wrong." Corrine answered, slightly annoyed.

"What's up Marsh? Why did we stop?" Lucas asked as he too, attempted to see what Marshall was staring at in misery.

Marshall suddenly grabbed onto Lucas's arm firmly. In response, Lucas looked at his best friend strangely.

"Dude…what's up with you holding onto my arm so tight? I think Corrine will be jealous if she sees you trying to hold my hand." He joked.

Marshall glanced at Lucas and quickly released his arm. "I don't want to hold your hand, _idiot_…look over there." He said as he pointed in the direction of his gaze. Lucas turned around and noticed the one person that could scare Marshall half to death…

"Connor Finnegan…"

* * *

"Vaughn! Are you okay? What happened?" Victor Pearson called as he frantically walked over to Vaughn. 

Vaughn stood up and faced his father. "Hey dad, I'm fine. I think I just sprained my wrist, that's all."

Victor gently removed the ice pack from Vaughn's wrist and examined the injury. "I don't think it's a sprain, son. You broke it. I'll drive you to the hospital immediately before it gets worse."

Vaughn nodded his head in agreement. Josie stood next to him and placed another ice pack on his wrist. "Keep this on to keep the swelling down." She said sternly.

"Ms. Trent. I'm assuming you will accompany Vaughn and I to the hospital?" Victor asked with a warm smile.

"As a matter of fact I am. I'll be his nurse for the time being". She replied with a sweet smile.

"Well then, I guess we'd better be off." Victor said as he led Josie and Vaughn over to his Porsche. Just as Vaughn was about to step into the car, Kubiak came running towards him like a mad man.

"Pearson! Pearson! We won man! We kicked Fillmore's butt!"

"Yeah, I know! I saw the whole last two minutes." Vaughn replied with slight sarcasm.

"We couldn't do it without you man. Well, we did because you got annihilated …but you were in the game in the beginning. But we won! You comin' out with us to celebrate?"

Vaughn glanced at Josie and then at Kubiak. "No…I can't. I gotta go to the hospital, Stu. If you haven't noticed, my wrist is broken." He said as he showed Kubiak his injured wrist.

Stu looked at him dumbfounded for a moment and then smiled. "Oh! Yeah man! I hope you feel better. We'll celebrate some other time okay?" He said as he foolishly patted Vaughn on his left arm." Vaughn winced in pain.

"Stu! Don't touch him there! He's in pain if you haven't noticed!" Josie yelled. Kubiak immediately stopped patting his teammate's shoulder.

"Oh, my bad…sorry."

Vaughn shook his head and stepped inside the car. "Okay, okay Stu we'll celebrate some other time. I gotta go."

"See ya Pearson!" Stu yelled as he jogged away from the car. Josie shook her head as she watched him head towards the crowd of students in the field.

"Are you okay, Vaughn?" She asked as she examined him.

"Yeah…I'm fine. I'll live." He joked.

Just as Josie was about to open the car door and sit in the back seat, she noticed someone whom she thought she'd never see again. An uncomfortable feeling welled up inside her as she watched the person stand suspiciously away from the crowd. She knew that the only reason as to why that person was here could only mean drama. _"It can't be…why is he here?"_ She thought as she kept staring at him in the distance.

Vaughn turned his head and noticed that something was bothering Josie. He tried to see what she was staring at, but could not locate it. "Jos, what's wrong?"

Josie did not reply, but stared at the intruder for a few more moments until he unexpectedly made eye contact with her and gave her his notorious smile.

"Tyler Jessup…"She said in a soft whisper.

"Tyler!" Vaughn exclaimed as he carefully got out of the car and stared at him. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"I don't know, but it could only spell trouble for us." Josie said as she kept her eyes on Tyler. When Tyler finally walked away, Josie turned to Vaughn and smiled wearily.

"We'd better get to the hospital. Let's go Vaughn." She said as she helped him back inside the car and sat in the back seat. Vaughn turned to his father, who had a shocked expression on his face.

"Dad…what's Tyler Jessup doing here? I hope he's not being readmitted into Blake Holsey."

Victor cleared his throat nervously and looked at his son. "I'm not sure why he's here, Vaughn, but don't worry about him. Worry about your arm. Let's go." He said as sternly as he put the car in drive and stepped on the pedal.

As they drove around to the front of the school to get to the main road, Josie and Vaughn noticed Tyler speaking to Principal Durst. From the uncomfortable expression on her face, Durst appeared to be disturbed by Tyler's presence. They drove down the road in an awkward silence for a few moments until Josie tapped Vaughn on his shoulder.

"Vaughn." She whispered as she leaned forward against his seat to talk into his ear.

Vaughn turned his head in response. "What Jos?"

"As soon as we get back, were gonna find out what the hell Tyler is up to."

"How are you gonna find out? Are you gonna ask Durst?" Vaughn inquired in a soft whisper.

"No…I'll ask Tyler myself." Josie replied and sat back in her seat.

Vaughn shook his head and looked at Josie through the passenger mirror. She had that stubborn, determined expression on her face again, which meant only one thing…trouble.

* * *

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I guess you are wondering why Tyler Jessup is back! Stay tuned for more! 


	14. Accidents Will Happen

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's another chapter! This one is longer than the last one. I hope you guys enjoy! I will try to update this fic more often so that I can post part 2!**

* * *

"We should go say hi." Lucas suggested, walking a few steps in front of his friends. 

"Whoa wait a minute Lucas!" Marshall said, quickly grabbing onto Lucas's arm and yanking him back. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to say hi to Connor. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"You can't be serious, Lucas. Don't you remember what he did to me freshman year?" Marshall asked, releasing his tight grip from Lucas's arm.

Lucas smiled a toothy grin and chuckled. "Yeah, he put…"

"No! Don't say it!" Marshall interrupted as he closed his eyes and held up one hand to Lucas, while he placed his left hand onto his stomach. "Do not remind me…"

Lucas shook his head sympathetically and patted him on the shoulder. "Marshall, that was years ago! Get over it! Come on, let's go say what's up. It won't be bad I promise." He replied, grabbing Marshall's arm.

"No. I'll pass. You go say hi." Marshall replied stubbornly, pulling his arm away from Lucas's grasp.

Lucas made a pleading sideways glance over to Corrine, who was trying to hold back from laughing.

"Corrine, could you please tell your wimpy boyfriend that nothing will happen to him if we go over and talk to Connor?"

Corrine smiled and stood in front of Marshall. "Marshall just go over there. He won't pull any pranks on you. There's no pasta for him to put…"

"Shhh! Please spare me the memories, Corrine, please." Marshall replied, placing one hand over his mouth as if he was going to hurl.

"Marshall, stop being dramatic!" Corrine chided, removing his hand away from his mouth. "Look at me Marshall. Let's just go say hello and get it over with. Who knows, maybe he's changed?"

Marshall looked at his girlfriend and then in the direction of where Connor sat. "Maybe you're right." He sighed and raised his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright let's go. But if he pulls even _one_ prank on me, you and _especially_ **you**, Lucas owe me big time." He warned, pointing a disciplining finger at Lucas and Corrine.

Corrine and Lucas rolled their eyes an suddenly grabbed onto Marshall's arms.

"Whoa guys…what's all this? " Marshall asked in surprise.

"We're doing this for your own sake Marshall, in case you try to escape." Lucas replied as they started walking, dragging him along with them.

"You know you don't have to restrain me. I'm not made of helium anymore...I'm not going to float away." Marshall pleaded, trying to free himself from their grasp.

Lucas and Corrine ignored Marshall's plea and kept holding onto him.

"Lucas I'd prefer that my girlfriend be the only one to hold my hand." Marshall retorted. Lucas shook his head and laughed as he released his grip from Marshall's arm.

"Thank you!" Marshall yelled as Lucas walked over towards Connor.

"You know Corrine…" Marshall began as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "If Connor insults me; you know that you owe me, right?"

Corrine smiled and faced him, wrapping both of her arms around his waist. "So what do _you_ owe me if he doesn't?"

"We'll see Corrine…we shall see." Marshall replied as he kissed her gently on the forehead.

* * *

"How long do we have to wait?" Vaughn asked impatiently as he, Josie, and Victor sat in the hospital emergency room waiting area. Except for a woman and a sickly young girl, they were the only people waiting for medical care. 

"It won't be too long Vaughn, be patient…" Victor replied reassuringly.

Josie sat quietly next to Vaughn, staring at the paintings on the white and pale green trimmed walls. Her eyes suddenly met the wide eyed, innocent gaze of the sickly little girl, who sat quietly on her mother's lap across the room. She smiled weakly at Josie, and in return, Josie smiled back. The girl reminded her of the kids from the Children's Literacy Center, where she volunteered some days after class. Josie leaned her head against Vaughn's shoulder and sighed.

"I'm going to miss them…"

"Miss who Jos?"

"The kids from Literacy Center. It sucks that it won't be open in the summer. I have to go for over two months without seeing them."

Vaughn leaned his head on top of hers. "Don't worry Jos, you have another whole year to spend with them."

Josie sighed again and looked at the young girl once more. "I know Vaughn, but…" Her words were interrupted when a young, sweet smiling nurse entered the room.

"Vaughn Pearson?" She inquired, shifting her gaze between Victor and Vaughn.

"That's me." Vaughn replied, slowly raising his finger.

"The doctor will see you now, follow me."

Victor got up first and followed the nurse out of the room. Vaughn stood up a few moments later and faced Josie. "Are you staying in here Jos, or are you coming?"

"I'm staying." Josie replied with a tired smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Besides, doctors creep me out." Josie replied, reclining in her seat.

"Okay, I won't be long. See you in a few." Vaughn winked and smiled at her as he walked out of the room. Josie turned her attention back to the young girl who was now fast asleep. For some odd reason, she couldn't help but wonder about her. There was something about her that she couldn't shake off. "Maybe I've seen her before somewhere." She thought, and then picked up a Health and Fitness magazine off of an end table next to her chair.

* * *

"Connor? Connor Finnegan?" Lucas asked a tall, blonde haired, blue eyed guy sitting on the bleachers. He looked up at Lucas and smiled. 

"Hey! Lucas Randall! How's it goin' man! Nice to see you!" He replied excitedly as he stuck out his hand for Lucas to shake. Lucas shook his hand and smiled.

"It's good to see you again."

"Go over there and say something!" Corrine said as she and Marshall stood a few feet away from Connor and Lucas.

"I'm waiting to see if it's safe to go over there." Marshall replied in a whisper as he watched Connor and Lucas talk. When he saw that Lucas wasn't in a headlock or in any danger, he decided that it was safe for him to approach them.

"Marshall! Come on!" Corrine said as she grabbed his arm and led him towards Lucas.

"Well, well, well if it isn't Marshall Wheeler. Ate any interesting pasta lately?" Connor said jokingly.

Marshall swallowed a painful lump in his throat, preventing him from answering.

"I'm just playing with you Marsh, how are you?" Connor said cheerfully as he stuck out his hand.

Marshall looked at Connor's large hand and then into his ice blue eyes, smiling wryly. Lucas nudged him in the rib.

"Marshall stop being a wimp. It's safe to shake his hand." He whispered through gritted teeth.

Marshall hesitated for a moment and then slowly brought his hand up and shook Connor's hand.

"I'm fine…how are you?" Marshall replied in a nervous tone.

"I'm living life as best as I can..." Connor replied with a smile and then shifted his eyes over to Corrine.

"Corrine Baxter. Miss smarty pants. How are you?"

Corrine smiled and gave him a friendly hug. "I'm fine."

"I didn't know you went to Fillmore." Marshall said bravely to Connor, all the while watching Corrine and Connor hug, making sure Connor's hands didn't stray.

"Yeah. After I got kicked out of Holsey my parents insisted that I go to another boarding school. To tell you the truth, that place sucks." Connor replied with a smile, breaking away from Corrine's embrace.

"So I've heard." Marshall replied, eyeing him with slight jealousy.

"So, I hear that some of you guys have been pretty busy lately…hooking up with each other and all." Connor teased, shifting his eyes between Marshall and Corrine. Corrine looked at Marshall and smiled.

"Yeah, you could say that…we have been pretty busy, dating each other, school, you know the fun stuff." Corrine replied, grabbing Marshall's hand to hold.

"How long has it been?" Connor asked.

"About a little over a year." Marshall replied, wrapping his arm around Corrine's shoulder and pulling her closer to his body.

"Josie and Vaughn are dating, too." Lucas spoke up.

"Yeah, Kubiak told me, I wasn't too shocked to hear that, though. They make a good match. It sucks that Vaughn got hurt today. I hope he feels better."

At that same time, a brown skinned girl with red curly hair approached them. She favored Corrine in some ways, except that she was taller and had a piercing in her nose as well as many piercings in her ears.

"Beep beep! Coming through!" She said as she pushed a wheelchair between Corrine and Connor. Marshall, Corrine, and Lucas eyed her strangely, wondering who the wheelchair could belong to.

"You ready to go Con?" She asked with a smile. Connor smiled at the girl and nodded his head.

"Yeah I guess so. Guys, this is my girlfriend Marissa. Marissa this is Corrine Baxter, Marshall Wheeler, and Lucas Randall."

"Hi guys, nice to meet you." Marissa said as she shook everyone's hand. "Is this the Marshall you were telling me about?" She asked Connor.

"Yup, that's him…that's the loogie boy." Connor replied with a laugh. Corrine and Lucas joined in the laughter.

"Loogie boy?" Marshall said, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Please don't bring that up, man."

"Just kiddin' Marsh. He's a great guy Marissa." Connor replied.

"Gee thanks." Marshall replied sarcastically.

"I think we'd better go before the gang leaves us. They told me to come get you so that we can go hang out." Marissa said as she pushed the wheelchair besides Connor.

Connor carefully placed his hands onto the arms of the wheelchair and lifted himself up and sat down. The whole time Connor situated himself in the wheelchair, Marshall, Corrine, and Lucas couldn't help but to stare in shock.

"Okay all done." Connor said as he looked up at everyone with a smile. Everyone was quiet for a few moments until Lucas broke the uneasy silence.

"What happened to you, Connor?"

Connor sighed and lowered his gaze to the ground. Lucas immediately felt bad that he'd asked, but Connor reassured him that it was alright to ask.

"A few months after I came to Fillmore, me and a group of guys decided to go joyriding one Friday night because we were bored to death. One guy was a little tipsy and he drove the car head on into a tree. Luckily, no one was killed, but the guy who was driving was in a coma for a month, but he's alright now. Me and this other kid came out partially paralyzed from the waist down."

Marshall, Corrine, and Lucas stared at Connor in shock. No one knew what to say next. Tears welled up in Corrine's eyes. Marshall lowered his gaze to the ground, while Lucas shook his head in disbelief.

"Wow…we're sorry to hear that Connor." Lucas spoke up.

"No worries, guys. The good news is that I'm starting to have sensations in my legs. I'm going to physical therapy four days a week and I'm doing great there. The doc says that at my rate, I should be walking sometime next year or sooner!" Connor replied with a hopeful grin.

"That's great Connor. I'm happy for you." Marshall said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Marissa over here has been a great help. I credit her for being my personal nurse and for giving me the inspiration to live again." Connor replied. Marissa placed her hands on his shoulders and gave them a tight squeeze.

"Yeah, it's been a tough hill to climb, but we're hangin' in there." Marissa replied, trying to hold back tears. "Well, we'd better go. It was so nice meeting you guys! We should hang out some time!" Marissa said as she made last minute adjustments to Connor's wheelchair.

"That would be great. Here's my cell number if you want to call me sometime." Corrine said as she scribbled her number down onto a small sheet of paper and handed it to Marissa.

"Thanks. I'll definitely call you."

"Well…Lucas, Loogie boy." Connor said jokingly, shifting his eyes to Marshall. Marshall laughed and rolled his eyes. "It's been great seeing you again. Here's my number. Don't hesitate to call. Maybe we can eat pasta sometime, Marsh?"

Marshall rolled his eyes. A sickening knot formed in the pit of his stomach. "Why don't we skip eating pasta and plan to do something that involves _not_ eating. The annual carnival is coming up next Friday and my band is playing in the talent show. You guys should come."

"That sounds awesome. We'll definitely be there. See you guys!" Connor said as Marissa began pushing him away.

Marshall, Corrine, and Lucas watched silently as Connor and Marissa went over to Kubiak, who attempted to pick up Connor out of the wheelchair.

"It's a shame how something like that happens to a great guy like him." Lucas began.

"Yeah…and to see him so happy and full of life makes me feel bad about my opinion of him." Marshall said lowly. Corrine placed her head on Marshall's chest. Marshall wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Don't feel bad Marshall. The Connor you knew then is different from the Connor you know now. There was a reason for you guys to meet up again today. Now you have a new friend and you know what else that means?"

Marshall smiled against Corrine's soft, curly hair. He knew exactly what she was about to say.

Corrine stood in front of Marshall and grinned proudly. "That means I was right and you were absolutely wrong. You owe me."

Marshall smiled and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "Okay Corrine, you win. I owe you. But we will discuss this bet privately." He replied in a whisper.

Lucas rolled his eyes and sighed. "Please spare me the visuals guys, please!"

* * *

After taking an x-ray of his left arm and also his skull, Vaughn and his father sat in the doctor's office patiently, waiting for the doctor to come in with the x-ray results. Dr. Winehouse mentioned to Vaughn that it would be a good idea to take an x-ray of his skull as a precaution, being as though he was knocked unconscious for a few minutes. Vaughn's heart was beating erratically. Sweat began to form on his brow. He glanced over at Victor, who seemed calm, yet utterly bothered by something else. 

"Dad are you okay?" Vaughn asked concernedly.

Victor looked at him and smiled halfheartedly. "Yes…I'm fine Vaughn." He replied hesitantly, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. Vaughn nodded his head and smiled, but in the back of his mind, he knew that something was amiss.

At the same time, the doctor walked into the office with a large tan colored envelope and closed the door. Vaughn's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He couldn't read Dr. Winehouse's facial expression. He placed the envelope onto the desk and turned around to face Vaughn and Victor and smiled.

From the slightly concerned, yet optimistic look on Dr. Winehouse's face, Vaughn knew that there was both good and bad news. He could only pray that the good news outweighed the bad news…

* * *

**A/N: So how did you guys like it? I guess we all know who Connor Finnegan is, it's a shame what happened to him. What kind of news will Vaughn get about his arm? Or could the doctor have seen something abnormal with his skull? Thanks for reading and reviewing! **

**P.S. Part one has a few chapters left!**


	15. Hot for Teacher

A/N: Here is another chapter I hope you all will enjoy!

* * *

"Well Vaughn…" Dr. Winehouse began as he pulled out one x-ray sheet and placed it into the x-ray screen. It was a picture of Vaughn's left forearm…and it didn't look all that great.

"From what I see, your wrist bone has an open fracture." He replied, circling the picture of the open fracture with a red marker.

"So is an open fracture a good thing or a bad thing?" Vaughn asked, holding his breath and crossing his fingers at the same time.

Dr. Winehouse smiled. "An open fracture is both a good and a bad thing. Good meaning that it's not broken, so you won't need to have surgery. The only thing you need is a cast, and I will put that on you today."

Vaughn breathed out a sigh of relief. "So what's the bad part about it?"

"The bad thing is that you can't play **any** type of sports for the next two months." He replied with a serious frown.

Victor looked at his son and then at Dr. Winehouse.

"Dr. Winehouse, my son will be off to a summer program in about two weeks. Is it alright for him to travel? This program is very important for his future and he must attend." He asked concernedly, shifting his gaze between Vaughn and the doctor.

Dr. Winehouse sat down at his desk and smiled. "It's perfectly fine, unless it's some type of sports program, then that's out of the question."

"No, he's going to Penn State for a month." Victor replied with a proud smile.

"Well in that case, it's safe for Vaughn to go. He can travel or do anything else, except play sports. He can't participate in anything else that involves any type of physical contact or stress."

Victor shifted his eyes from the doctor and looked at his son, with the a stern expression on his face. "Are you listening to this, Vaughn?"

"Yes dad, I hear him." Vaughn replied, slightly annoyed.

"You play football, correct?" Dr. Winehouse asked.

"Yes sir." Vaughn replied with a smile.

"My advice to you is this. If you want to be ready when football season begins, do not do anything strenuous. Your wrist will heal on it's own in two months. It can heal even faster than that if you take good care of yourself. The timeframe of healing depends solely on you. Now before you leave for the states, I want to see you again for another check up. Schedule an appointment with me for next week so that I can see how your wrist is healing."

Vaughn nodded his head in agreement. "So are you going to give me something to dull the pain in the meantime?"

"Here's a prescription for some pain medication. Do not overtake them. They are very dangerous…you could become dependent on them if you do not take them properly." He warned as he wrote on a small blue notepad and handed the paper to Victor.

"Dr. Winehouse, might I inquire why you took an x-ray of my son's skull? Did you find something unusual?" Victor asked concernedly.

Dr. Winehouse opened the large beige envelop and pulled out the x-ray of Vaughn's skull. He then stood up, removed the first x-ray from the screen and replaced it with the second one.

"Nothing is wrong with his skull. I just wanted to check to see if Vaughn had a concussion, since he blacked out for a few moments." He replied with a reassuring smile.

"That's great." Victor replied, smiling at Vaughn and the doctor.

During the remainder of the time they spent inside the doctor's office, Dr. Winehouse placed a cast on Vaughn's left arm. It started from his wrist, and went all the way up to his elbow. Victor scheduled the next appointment and then Dr. Winehouse escorted his patients out of his office and down the hall to the emergency waiting room. When Vaughn stepped inside the room, there was no one in the room but Josie, who was fast asleep in her chair. He quietly walked over to her and tapped her shoulder.

"Hey Jos…wake up. It's time to go."

Josie shifted and woke up, staring at Vaughn confusedly. "What time is it?"

"It's around 9pm. We can go now."

Josie slowly stood up, yawned and stretched. She then looked at Vaughn's arm. "Wow, you have a cast. Is your wrist broken?" She asked as she gently touched the cast.

"Nope, just an open fracture. The doc says that it has to stay on for two months and I can't play any sports until it comes off." Vaughn replied as they started walking out of the room.

"Yikes…that sucks. So will you still be able to go to Penn State this summer?"

"Yeah I'm still going…my dad made sure to ask the doc if I could still travel and do other things and he said yeah."

"That's good…right?" Josie asked, holding her boyfriend's right hand as they walked out onto the parking lot with Victor.

"I guess so, it just sucks that I can't do anything but sit and relax…I can't even lift weights." Vaughn replied, slightly disappointed.

Josie turned to him and smiled. "Don't worry Vaughn, everything will be fine. You'll be back to normal in no time. At least this didn't happen during football season. I'll help you recuperate for the time being."

He smiled appreciatively and leaned over and gave her a kiss on her lips.

"Ahem…if you two don't mind…" Victor said as he sat patiently in the car, glaring at the oblivious couple. Josie and Vaughn looked at each other and opened the car door.

"Sorry dad." Vaughn said apologetically as they got into the car and headed back to school…

* * *

_**Later Sunday night 9pm at Blake Holsey…**_

Josie left Vaughn's room to take a break from being his nurse all weekend. Corrine was in Vaughn's room now, finishing up their project to present in Z's class tomorrow. Marshall and Josie had already finished theirs, so she had some free time all to herself. She was indecisive as to what to should do until curfew. She didn't want to study or sit in her room. Suddenly, an idea hit her. "I know, Professor Z". She said aloud in a soft whisper. She remembered that she had wanted to ask him about those three business people he met with last week. There wasn't any time for her to question him about them at that time, but she was determined to ask him tonight. She had a lot to talk to him about. She needed to know what they wanted with him and if he knew why Tyler came back to the school on Friday. She walked downstairs and made her way over to Z's room. His door was closed, but the lights were on.

"Professor Z, are you in there?" She asked, knocking gently on the door.

A few seconds later, Z opened the door, with his usual happy-go-lucky smile.

"Hey Josie, come on in. I was about to prepare some things for class." He opened the door wider and allowed her to step inside. He then closed the door and sat down in his recliner.

"So…what's going on? I haven't seen you around too much, except for class of course."

"I've been…busy. You know, studying, getting ready for summer vacation…" She replied, slightly nervous.

Z looked at her strangely, as if he knew that she was troubled. She tried her best to play it cool and not look into his eyes, but that didn't work.

"Alright Josie out with it." He said in a concerned tone.

"Out with what? There's nothing to come out with." She replied, trying to mask her nervousness.

"Josie, I can tell that something is bothering you. You never come into my room alone unless you have to talk to me about something. So come on and tell me."

She sighed and rolled her eyes in defeat. "_I might as well ask him about everything, even though he might be a little upset that I eavesdropped in on his meeting last week_." She thought.

"Okay Z, here it is. Promise me that you won't be mad at me."

"Okay, I promise." He replied with a smile.

"Last week after dinner when I was on my way upstairs to my room, I saw you and these three business people in the hallway."

She paused in order to see his initial reaction. He shifted in his seat a little, but then nodded.

"Okay…go on."

"Right. Um…I was um…I kind of spied on you. I was hiding in a corner on the stairs the whole time they were speaking to you. After they left, I noticed that you seemed upset. I thought maybe you were in trouble and…"

"Josie." He interrupted in a low, somber tone. She looked at him worriedly, because she knew that tone. That was a sign of bad news.

"I first want to say that I'm not mad at you for spying on me, but…I'm glad that you didn't hear anything and spread it to everyone in science class." He replied with a reassuring smile.

She looked at him and blushed, for she remembered the incident when she spilled the big secret that he was giving the class a pop quiz. "Z…is there something wrong?"

He lowered his head. He was quiet…too quiet, and she knew that something was up.

"Josie I don't know if I should tell you…"

"Tell me what? Please Z. Don't I tell you everything that's bothering me?"

He looked up and nodded his head. "You might want to sit down."

"_Uh-oh." _Josie thought_. " I knew that phrase could only mean that he's about to drop bad news on me." _

She quickly pulled out his desk chair and placed it in front of him and sat down. He tried not to look at her. His eyes were sad and distant all of a sudden. He sighed before speaking.

"If I tell you this, please promise me that you **will not** tell the others. This is confidential and if Durst finds out that I told a student, she will be upset."

Josie's heart was beating fast. Her stomach was doing flip-flops and she suddenly felt like puking. Whatever he was about to tell her, it was pretty damn serious.

"I promise…you have my word." She replied in a soft, nervous whisper.

Z nodded his head and sighed again. "Those people that you saw me speaking with came here to talk to me about a job position."

"A job position? Where?"

"They came from another boarding school in Saskatchewan called _The Academy of Arts and Sciences_."

Josie frowned at him and sat quiet for a moment. "I don't think I've ever heard of that school before…"

"No one has. It's new. They built it sometime two years ago. I heard it's supposed to be some type of prestigious school where students get the chance to study both high school and university courses at the same time."

"So how did they find out about you?"

"Durst met with them at the annual teacher's convention and they told her that they needed another science professor for their school. She recommended me, and they wanted to meet me."

"So what did they say?" Josie asked, her heart beat suddenly slowing down.

"They told me that they were looking for a science professor and that they will pay me more than what I'm getting here. They've heard a lot about me and are impressed with my extensive background and were looking for someone like me with those credentials. They also said that the campus is really big and that some of the teachers stay in what they call "faculty" houses on campus."

Josie was speechless the whole time Z was talking. His words drifted in and out of her ear and after a while, she couldn't keep listening. Her own thoughts and emotions began to take over her. She couldn't help but to notice how his face lit up every time he mentioned what that school could offer him. She was beginning to feel sick to her stomach. She couldn't imagine being in Blake Holsey without him.

"…so when they left, they invited me over to their school for a visit. They want me to come and check it out before I make a decision." He said with a halfhearted smile.

His last sentence woke Josie out of her daydream. She looked at him and tried to hold back tears. Z's smile changed into a frown.

"Josie what's wrong?"

She lowered her head and stopped a few tears from rolling down her cheeks. "Nothing. I…"

"Josie, I know you are upset about what I just told you. Don't worry, I didn't make any kind of decision yet."

She looked up at him and smiled. "So you didn't tell them that you're interested?"

Z sighed and sat back in his seat. "I told them that I accept their invitation to come visit, but I'm not so sure about everything else."

Josie's heart started mending itself back together. She was hopeful that he would choose to stay, but doubted that he would turn down a great opportunity. "So what about your trip with Lucas this summer? Are you still going?"

"Of course! I wouldn't cancel any of my plans with you guys, no matter what is going on in my life." He replied with a smile.

"When are you going to visit the school?"

"This Friday. It's an all day event so I don't think I'll return until nightfall." He replied.

"But this Friday is the annual carnival in John Wilmot Park! Marshall's band is going to play in the talent show! You can't miss that!"

Z stood and walked towards his desk. "I know, I know…I'll try to get back in time to see him play."

Josie stood up and walked over to him. "Z, when do you have to make your final decision?"

He faced his student with a straight frown. "I can make my decision this Friday or wait until the second week in August."

"Oh…" Josie replied in slight relief, leaning against the desk. "So do you think you will consider leaving?"

Z lowered his gaze and then sat down in a chair. "I don't know Josie. It's hard to say. It all depends on whether or not Victor will make me a better offer. I've always wanted to teach at a prestigious school…not saying that Blake Holsey isn't prestigious, but they are offering me more things than Blake Holsey.

"So have you considered leaving?"

Z looked at Josie for a few more moments. He lowered his gaze and sighed. "Josie, I can't answer that right now."

She looked at him and nodded her head understandingly. She felt sick, dizzy, and somewhat pissed off about what he had told her. How could he even consider leaving? He wouldn't be leaving the school, he would be leaving the science club behind.

"Z…you do know that if you decide to leave, you'd be leaving us…leaving me."

He stood up an walked over to her and smiled halfheartedly. "Josie…whether or not I'm here, I could never leave you guys, especially you. We've been through so much together. How could I ever not speak to you guys if I'm in another place?"

Josie lowered her head again, trying to hide the tears from falling down her face. "Z you can't leave…please."

He placed his hands on her shoulder and smiled. "Josie, I'm not going anywhere…yet. I haven't even thought things through yet. So please, promise me that you won't tell the rest of the group about what I've just told you."

She smiled and nodded her head. She then walked over to the door and placed her hand on the doorknob.

"Josie didn't you have something else to tell me?" he asked with a confused frown.

She thought for a moment and realized that she'd forgoten to tell him about Tyler. "Oh yeah, I wanted to tell you that Vaughn and I saw Tyler on Friday at the game."

Z widened his eyes in surprise. "Tyler Jessup? What was he doing here?"

"That's what I want to know. Vaughn and I saw him talking to Durst privately. From the look on Durst's face, I could tell that he was telling her something she didn't like."

Z nodded his head and rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

"I thought you knew something about him being here, since he came here the same week those people met with you. I thought maybe…"

"So you thought maybe they were talking to me about Tyler, huh?" He asked with a slight chuckle. "No, I haven't heard anything about Tyler coming here. Durst hasn't said anything to me."

"She has been acting kind of funny. Do you think you can…"

"You want me to _"spy"_ on her don't you?" Z asked with a laugh.

Josie smiled and nodded her head. "No, not exactly. Just nonchalantly ask her if any former students came by to visit lately."

Z eyed her sternly with a smile. "Josie…that's stating the obvious. I'll just wait until she says something."

"Or I could just…"

"Josie, it's the end of the school year. Can we end it peaceful with no drama? Promise me that you won't turn into Nancy Drew over the next few days."

Josie smiled and opened the door. "Okay, but promise me something."

"Okay, what?"

Josie sighed and faced him with a somber look on her face. "Promise me that you'll consider staying."

Z placed his hands in his pockets and nodded his head. "Okay…I promise, but I don't know if I can keep it."

Josie nodded her head and smiled. "That's good enough. Goodnight Z, see you tomorrow." She said as she left the room.

"Good night Josie." He replied in low tone.

Professor Z watched as Josie walked out of the room. A wave of emotions began to well up inside his body. He felt sorry, yet relieved that he revealed his secret to Josie…But something told him that the rest of the science club would find out about it sooner or later. Exhausted, he made his way over to another recliner by the window and sat down. He looked out the window at the moonlit nighttime sky and sighed.

"I hope I'm making the right decision…"

Josie made her way slowly upstairs. She was hurt, sad, happy, hopeful, and other things. She couldn't believe that Z was thinking of leaving. How could he even consider it? She opened the door to her room and plopped down onto her bed, face first. She buried her head into a pillow. She thought about life without Z at Blake Holsey and began to cry, until she finally fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

A/N: SO how did you guys like it? I hope you are enjoying this fic because more is coming up soon! Thanks for reading! 


	16. Promises, Promises

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait. Here is another chapter that I hope you will enjoy! There is only about 2 or 3 chapters left in part 1! Thanks for reading! **

_**

* * *

**_

_**Monday morning in science class…**_

"Okay thank you Stu and Madison for your description on how males and females differ. It wasn't what I asked for this project, but thanks anyway." Z said politely as Kubiak and Madison made their way to their seats. A soft laughter could be heard coming from the class. Z stepped to the front of the room and smiled. "Okay now, for our last presentation of the day and for the school year..." The class interrupted him with cheerful whistles and claps. "Okay calm down class. Please give our next presenters your full attention. Corrine and Vaughn, the stage is yours."

Corrine turned to Vaughn and nodded her head. Vaughn smiled and got off of his stool, being very careful not to hit his cast protected arm, and walked to the front of the class. At the same time, Corrine grabbed the two models of the male and female brains that they had worked on and made her way to the front of the room. Vaughn gathered the note cards in his free hand and faced the class while Corrine placed the two model brains on a display table next to where they stood. When she turned around, her eyes met Marshall's gaze. He smiled at her and winked his eye. Corrine smiled in return, and as usual, became distracted by his flirtations. Their moment was interrupted when Vaughn nudged his partner in the arm.

"Corrine…"

"Oh…sorry." She replied, embarrassed. Vaughn shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Corrine then turned her attention to the class and began to speak. She purposely avoided looking at Marshall, because she knew he would distract her again and cause her face to blush.

"Vaughn and I made models of the male and female brains. As you can see, we all are anatomically similar and…"

"No we're not." Kubiak interrupted. "Men don't have breasts like women do. And we don't have the same _' private parts'_."

The class erupted into laughter. Corrine gave Kubiak a stern glare for his stupid comment. Vaughn also laughed, and so was Professor Z. "Stuart…please pay attention and don't interrupt them anymore." Z replied, trying to hold back his laughter.

Annoyed, Corrine rolled her eyes and continued. "Thank you, Z. Vaughn and I discovered that the main difference between males and females, besides the obvious as Kubiak so nicely pointed out, is our thinking capacity and how many tasks we can handle at a time." Corrine said, pointing to her model brains.

"Males tend to think with one region of the brain at a time, which is the left side first, while females think with every part of their brain at the same time..." Vaughn chimed in.

"So if men only think with half of their brain, why are we born with the whole thing?" Kubiak asked.

Vaughn and Corrine looked at each other and sighed. Z rolled his eyes and tried with all his might to hold back a laugh.

"Dude…you can't be serious." Vaughn replied.

"Just continue guys…" Z said politely.

Vaughn then shifted through his note cards and began reading from them. Midway through reading, he suddenly stopped. He struggled to continue reading. It was as if he couldn't understand his own writing. He began squinting his eyes and turning the card around, in hopes of getting a clearer view of the words on the card. "_What's going on? Why do these words keep moving around backwards? I can't understand them!"_ He thought frustratingly to himself. He then looked up at the class and smiled, trying to hide the fact that he was having a hard time.

"Sorry guys, it seems like I can't read my own handwriting." He joked nervously.

Corrine then stepped closer to him and looked down at the card he was holding. She noticed that the card was not upside down and that the writing was very legible. She looked at him strangely and noticed that his face was twisted in distress.

"Vaughn…are you okay? What's wrong?" I whispered.

Vaughn turned to her and smiled half-heartedly. "I can't read my own handwriting. Everything seems all scrambled and blurry."

"I can read the rest if you want. We're at the end of our presentation anyway." She suggested.

Vaughn nodded his head and handed the note cards to his partner. "Yeah…I think you should. I'm a little bit out of it."

Corrine took the cards out of his hands. She then faced the class and continued reading from the note cards. During the whole time she spoke, she couldn't shake the notion that something was wrong with Vaughn. He was reading fine and then all of a sudden he started fumbling with the words. "_Maybe he needs glasses? That's probably why he was squinting when he was reading. But it doesn't explain why he was turning the cards upside down. Whatever is wrong with him, I hope it isn't too bad…"_ She thought.

"Thank you Corrine and Vaughn for that refreshing presentation." Z said with a smile. Vaughn and Corrine gathered up their project and took their seats. As they sat down, Corrine whispered to her troubled partner.

"Are you sure you're okay? It looked like you were struggling up there."

He nodded his head and faced her. "I'm fine. I guess my vision got a little bit cloudy up there. That's been happening to me lately."

"Do you think it's from your accident on Friday? You know, my father told me that when someone hits their head and blacks out, their vision can become blurry for a few days. He has had a lot of patients who have experienced those symptoms."

Vaughn shook his head. "No I don't think it's from Friday, it's been happening to me _way_ before that…"

His comment reminded Corrine of the time when they were studying in the library. Vaughn was having the same problem last week. "Have you been to the eye doctor or something?" She asked concernedly.

"No, not yet…but I plan on going." He replied nonchalantly.

"Well I think you should go soon, like this week before we go to Penn State."

"Don't worry about it, Corrine…I'm fine. I'm sure it's nothing." He replied with a reassuring smile. He then turned his attention back to Z, who was still speaking to the class.

Just then, the bell rang. As the class attempted to leave, Z began to speak again.

"Class before you leave, I just want to say that I've enjoyed this year with you all. I know you're all glad that today is the last day of science class and this weekend you all will be going home for the summer, but just know that I'll miss you all and…"

"Professor Z, you're acting like we won't see you in the fall. We're just going away for the summer." Marshall said jokingly. Z smiled halfheartedly and nodded his head. If only Marshall knew the real reason for Z's somber words…

"Alright class, enjoy your other classes and good luck on your final exams!" Z replied as the students began to leave the class.

"Need any help pretty lady?" Marshall said as he walked over to his girlfriend.

Corrine looked up from gathering her belongings and saw Marshall standing beside her with his infamous 'sexy grin' (as he proudly calls it) etched on his face.

"Why thank you. You're such a gentleman." She replied as she picked up my books and handed them to him.

"Great presentation today by the way. I think you and Vaughn's were the best. Those brain models were cool…" He replied as they walked to the front of the class.

"Thanks…you can keep 'em if you want."

Marshall's eyes lit up. He smiled and picked up both of the models from the front table. "Thanks. You know what? I'll call the female one Corrine, and the male one Marshall. How about that?"

"Sounds nice." Corrine replied as they passed Josie and Vaughn on their way out the classroom.

" Marshall?" Corrine began in a soft whisper when they were down the hall so that no one could hear them. "Do you think something's wrong with Vaughn?"

Marshall took a quick glance back into the classroom to see what she was talking about. "No don't turn around! I don't want it to be obvious that I'm talking about him!" Corrine said as she snatched him around.

"What? I haven't noticed anything. The only thing I noticed was that he was kind of struggling when he was reading today, but other than that he seems fine to me." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Something's wrong with him Marshall, but I don't know what." She replied as they walked upstairs.

"Nothing's wrong with him, you're just worried about him because he was injured on Friday. You worry too much."

"I know but…"

"But nothing, Corrine." He interrupted as they approached her room. "How about we do this. Since we don't have any more exams today, let's go out. The band and I are going to practice for a few hours and after that, it's you and me time. We'll go downtown to the café or something. We need to get away from school and everything else. I won't take no for an answer."

Corrine smiled at him and nodded her head. "Okay…it's a date." She traced his lips with her fingers.

"Now, I have to get going, but before I leave, I believe you owe me something." He said with a sly smile.

"Oh? And what's that?"

"This." He leaned into her face and kissed her lips. They broke away from each other and smiled.

"See you at 4?" He asked as he handed her the books and began walking to his room.

"Yeah, see you then." She replied as she opened the door and went inside her room.

* * *

"Hey Vaughn, can you meet me in a few? I have to talk to Professor Z about something." Josie said as she made her way over to Z.

"Sure, I'll wait in the hall. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just have to ask him something." Josie replied with a reassuring smile. Vaughn nodded his head and walked out of the classroom.

Josie waited patiently for the last two students to leave before she approached Z. It bothered her when he said that he was going to miss them. He'd never said that last term when they broke for summer vacation. "_He really must be considering leaving after when I asked him to think about it! How could he make that decision so fast? Maybe he hasn't yet_." Josie thought hopefully.

When the last person finally left the room, she approached Z as he was packing his briefcase.

"Hey Z." She said in a soft tone. She tried to say it as nicely as she could, because she was feeling a little bit angry at that moment.

Z turned around and smiled. "Hey Josie. How are you? You and Marshall did a great job on your presentations today."

"Thanks…um...Z? I wanted to talk to you about something."

Z's smile turned into a straight frown. "Let me guess, Josie. You want to talk about what we discussed last night, right?"

She nodded her head. "I thought you said that you were going to weigh your options before deciding on what to do?"

Z sighed and leaned against the desk. "Josie I haven't decided yet. I haven't even thought about doing anything yet."

"But why did you say that you were going to miss all of us? You've never said that to us before."

Z lowered his gaze and then looked at her. "Josie, the reason why I said that was because I really enjoyed you guys this term and I just thought that it'd be nice to tell you guys what you all mean to me. I guess I had some sort of nostalgic moment."

"But Z, people say that when they're about to leave."

"I know, Josie but please don't worry yourself too much over what I'm going to do. You'll stress yourself out too much and then you won't be able to concentrate on your other final exams." Z replied concernedly.

Josie turned her gaze away from him, feeling immensely scared and upset at this point. "Z you don't understand, next term will be the science club's last year at Blake Holsey. I plan on making my last year very memorable and I want everyone I care about to share it with me. Professor Z if you do leave, everything will change." She replied, trying her best to hold back tears.

Z sighed and shook his head. "Josie, I forgot to tell you something."

Her eyes widened with anticipation. "What? Please don't tell me you accepted their offer already!"

"No, no. I forgot to tell you that Victor Pearson and Principal Durst want to have a meeting with me. I guess they want to negotiate some things because like you, they don't want me to leave."

A sense of relief washed over her. "Oh…so when is the meeting?"

"I think they want to meet with me sometime this week, but as you know, Friday I'll be touring the other school all day." Z replied with a reassuring smile.

They were quiet for a few more seconds. Josie couldn't think of anything else to say. Professor Z wasn't sure if he should say anything else either, for he knew he'd told her too much. Z hoped that Victor and Durst would offer him more opportunities than that other school. Truthfully, he really didn't want to leave Blake Holsey.

As Josie stood in silence, an idea struck her. _"Maybe I could tell Vaughn to ask his father if they can raise Z's pay, or do whatever else they need to keep Z here. But wait, I can't tell Vaughn. Z told me not to tell anyone about this…"_ She thought. Her heart once again sunk to her stomach. She looked at Z again and smiled.

"Well, I'd better be going. Vaughn's waiting for me." She said, walking over to the door.

As her hand touched the doorknob and turned it, Z decided to make one last promise to her he knew he could keep.

"Josie." Z called. She turned around and faced him. "Before you leave, I'll make you this promise."

"What's that?"

"I will take the whole summer to weigh my options."

"And then?" She asked, feeling slightly better about the situation.

"And then I'll let you guys know everything."

"So you're going to tell Marshall, Lucas, Corrine, and Vaughn?"

Z smiled and nodded his head. "Yes…but that doesn't mean you can tell them. I'll let you guys know everything before school starts."

Josie nodded my head and smiled, feeling slightly better than before. "Okay, deal. I won't say anything."

"See you later, Josie. I'll try to make it to the talent show on Friday." Z said as he began packing more papers into his briefcase."

"Promise?" Josie said as I turned the knob and opened the door."

"Promise." Z replied with a smile.

As she walked out of the room and made her way over to Vaughn, she noticed that he seemed pretty bothered by something. She stepped in front of him and looked into his eyes.

"Vaughn are you okay?"

He looked at her and smiled. "Yeah I'm fine. I'm just tired. I think I'll go take a nap." He said as they began to walk down the hall. Vaughn knew that something weird was going on with him, but he couldn't put his finger on it. _"What's happening to me? Do I really need glasses like Corrine said?" _He thought.

Josie looked at him again and noticed that he was thinking about something. "Vaughn if something's bothering you, you know you can always come to me, right?" She replied as I stopped him mid-walk.

He smiled and put his good arm around her shoulder. "Yeah I know. But right now, I think it's time for you to be my nurse again. My arm is kinda bothering me and I think I need a back massage." He replied jokingly.

Josie rolled her eyes and laughed. "You're pushin' it a little too far, Pearson." She replied as they made their way down the hall…

* * *

**A/N: So how did you guys like it? What do you think is wrong with Vaughn besides him having a fractured wrist? Let me know if you have any suggestions about this chapter or anything else or if you have any ideas! Thanks**!


	17. Lost In Emotions

**A/N: Hey Guys! I am so sorry for not posting for 2 months! I got sidetracked and I had to rewrite this chapter all over again because it was too long and I didn't like it. Thank you all for reading this fic! I've noticed that there had been an explosion of hits to this fic so thanks to all of you! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

_**Fast Forward to the end of the week…**_

It was finally Friday, the official last day of school. It was also the long-awaited day of the annual _Last Day of School Carnival_ at the John Wilmot Park. The majority of the students at Blake Holsey, especially Marshall and his band, had been preparing all morning for this highly anticipated event. Some other students, as well as faculty members, were not preparing to go to the event. Instead, they decided to pack up their belongings to get ready to move back home for the summer. However, this wasn't the case for one particular faculty member...

* * *

Professor Z sat comfortably in his black leather recliner, deep in thought. He carefully picked up his hot coffee mug off of the end table and took a careful sip from it. The coffee's sharp aroma quickly snapped him out of his deep, pestering thoughts. 

"Today's going to be a long, exhausting day...I just know it." He said with a lethargic sigh.

It was true, it was going to be a long, not to mention, life changing day for Z...career-wise, actually. Today was the day he had the interview/open house at the prestigious _Academy of Arts and Sciences_ boarding school in Saskatchewan. He was anxious for this day to come…not because of the thrill of experiencing something new, but because he just wanted the interview to be done and over with. He'd been feeling guilty for the past few weeks about going on a job interview without the science club, except for Josie, knowing about it. He knew that if they'd found out what he was doing, they would be very upset.

"I have to do this…I have to see what else is out there besides Blake Holsey…" He kept reassuring himself. He sighed and placed the coffee mug back down onto the end table and stood up. He looked at his watch and realized that it was 9am.

"I'd better get going…I don't want to be late for this." He said as he walked over to his closet and took out his favorite brown suit jacket to put on. He walked over to his desk, picked up his briefcase and car keys and headed out the door. As he calmly walked down the halls, all he could think about were his students, especially the science club, and the fact that he would be making a serious decision at the end of the day.

"There's no turning back now…" He said in a soft whisper as he walked out of the front doors of the school…

* * *

"I miss him…" Corrine said somberly as she folded a baby-blue shirt and placed it neatly inside her suitcase. 

"Miss who?" Josie asked obliviously as she carelessly threw her clothes into her bag.

"Marshall, of course!"

Josie looked at her best friend and laughed. "Corrine, you've got to be kidding me. You just saw him last night! How could you miss him already?"

"I only saw him for like five minutes because he had to go practice with the band. We haven't spent **ANY** time together this week because of that…"

Josie zipped up her bag and began packing her suitcase. "Corrine, he's practicing hard for the talent show today. What do you expect? I'm sure he's bummed out about not seeing you as much either. By the way you two were snogging yesterday outside our room _clearly_ shows how much he misses you."

Corrine sighed and sat down on her bed. "I guess you're right, but…"

"But nothing! Dude, you have to stop worrying so much. Don't you want Marshall to win the contest so that Magnet 360 can _finally_ get the recognition they've been waiting for?" Josie asked as she sat on her over-stuffed suitcase in an attempt to close it.

"Yeah, I do but the point is…"

"The point _is_ that you have to be happy for him. Stop worrying about not spending a lot of quality time with him. As long as your relationship is strong, then everything will be fine…no ifs ands or buts about it." Josie replied in a strained voice as she tried to zip up her suitcase.

As Corrine watched her friend struggle with the zipper, unsettling thoughts began to race through her head. _"I hate it when things get in between me and Marshall's relationship. It's bad enough that there's a possibility that we won't even see each other at all during the summer. I'm worried that something's going to happen between us..." _

Josie was still struggling with her suitcase. When she attempted to lay on the top of it, she happened to catch a glimpse of Corrine, who was sulking and staring off into space. She sighed and shook her head. She was fed up with packing and now Corrine's gloomy behavior was beginning to irritate her, too.

"Uh...a little help here, please?" Josie said as she got off of the suitcase and pulled the zipper once again.

Corrine snapped out of her daydream and looked at her friend somberly. "Oh. Here…let me help you with that before you kill yourself." She said as she walked over to Josie and pressed down on the suitcase.

"Thanks." Josie replied as she began pulling on the zipper once again. She glanced at Corrine for a brief moment. _"I hope she doesn't worry herself silly and ruin this day for both her and Marshall..." _She thought as the zipper finally became unstuck, enabling her to close her suitcase..._**

* * *

**__**Fast forward to mid afternoon… **_

"Do we have everything guys? All of our equipment looks like it fit in here perfectly."Marshall said as he placed the last amplifier inside Jared's van.

"We'd better have everything! I had to take out the back seats so that everything will fit. My mom's gonna kill me if anything happens to her van." Jared said as he closed the trunk and got inside the driver's seat. Marshall got inside the passenger's seat while Miles had to carefully climb to the back and sit with the equipment.

"Don't worry man. The seats are in the basement…no one will bother them. We'll put the van back together as soon as we get back tonight." Marshall reassured his guitarist.

Just as Marshall was about to close his door, Vaughn came running over to the van.

"Marshall! Hey Marsh!" Vaughn yelled as he approached the van. Marshall turned around to see his friend jogging up towards his door.

"Hey Vaughn what's up? Is there something wrong?"

Vaughn caught his breath before answering his friend.

"Yeah everything's fine. I just have to show you something really quick."

"Will it take long because we have to get going to John Wilmot Park to practice for the talent show."

"No. It'll just be a sec. I have what I need to show you right here in this bag." Vaughn said as he dangled a small turquoise shopping bag in front of him.

Marshall looked at the jock confusedly and got out of the van.

"Dude, what's in the bag?"

A sly grin spread across Vaughn's face as he opened the bag and brought out two small turquoise boxes. He opened the first box and handed it to Marshall.

Marshall looked inside the box and then at Vaughn. He was absolutely stunned by its contents. Jared and Miles looked on curiously, too.

"Hey Marsh, what's in the box? Is Vaughn trying to propose to you or something?" Jared quipped.

Marshall glared at Jared. He then turned back to Vaughn, who was laughing at Jared's joke.

"You bought a _real _diamond bracelet? What's in the other box? A diamond ring or something?" Marshall asked.

Vaughn opened the other box and revealed a matching necklace with a silver diamond encrusted heart charm.

"You bought _both_ of these?"

"Yup." Vaughn replied cheerily.

"With _your_ money?"

"Yup."

"How much…? How could you afford this? You've had to have spent over a thousand for both of these…" Marshall said as he closed the box and handed it back to Vaughn."

"My dad's been _very_ generous with my allowance ever since I've been getting better grades. I didn't spend over a thousand for these…I practically got them a lot cheaper than that."

"But how? You got them from _Tiffany's_ and that store does not give discounts. Trust me, I know." Marshall replied.

"Maybe not, but your dad's not best friends with the store owner. He practically gave me them for free." Vaughn replied as he took the necklace out of the box. "Here, read the inscription on the back of the heart charm." He gave Marshall the necklace. A smile immediately formed on Marshall's face.

"Awww how sweet…_To Josie, the one and only love of my life_…" He teased.

Vaughn blushed slightly from embarrassment and took the necklace away from his friend and placed it back inside the box.

"Whatever, dude. I plan on giving it to Josie tonight at the Carnival. We've been going out for a little over eight months now and it's getting pretty serious between us, so I thought that I'd get her something special. You don't think it's too much do you?"

Marshall patted him reassuringly on his right shoulder. "No man, it's not too much. If you two are getting really serious, then this is the perfect gift. It might be too girly for Josie, being as though she's a skater chick and all, but I'm sure she'll love them."

Vaughn chuckled. "Yeah, you're right. Hey, if you ever want to buy Corrine something from _Tiffany's_, I can tell my dad's friend to give you a discount."

"Thanks man…I really appreciate that!" Marshall replied cheerfully. At that same moment, Jared started the van. Marshall quickly got inside and closed the door.

"Hey listen, I'll see you guys at the park! The talent show doesn't start until 4pm!"

Jared then began to drive away slowly. Vaughn waved to his friends as they started down the driveway.

"I'll see you guys there! Good luck!" He shouted as he waved them goodbye. When the van finally disappeared down the street, he went back inside the school to plan out how he was going to surprise Josie with her gift…

_**

* * *

**__**Later that afternoon…**_

Lucas made his way down the hall to Corrine and Josie's room. They had voted him to be the designated driver to the Carnival. He was reluctant to drive at first, but Josie's threatening persuasion made him give in to their demand. As he raised his hand to knock on their door, he spotted Tatia moving boxes out of her room.

Curious, he decided to see what Tatia was doing. As he approached her, he noticed that beautiful Italian student was not smiling…in fact, it seemed as though she was distressed. Lucas was now worried. He knew that something was not right with her. Before she could walk back inside the room, he called her name.

"Tatia!"

She stopped in her tracks and looked at Lucas. She forced a glum smile on her face.

"Hi Louie."

"Hey...are you moving out so soon? I thought you were going to the Carnival?"

Tatia sighed and stepped closer to him, her eyes were filled with fresh tears that were about to fall down her cheeks. Lucas was surprised, for he'd never seen her this way before.

"Is everything okay? You don't seem too happy."

Tatia sniffed and shook her head. "No… I'm very upset because I'm leaving for Italy tonight. My parents want me to come home early and…" She began to break down and cry. "Oh Louie!" She said as she quickly placed her head on his chest and hugged him.

Lucas was taken aback for a moment. He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her close to his body. "Shhh…it's alright Tatia. Think of it as an early start on your summer vacation…you'll be back in the fall."

Tatia slowly raised her head from Lucas's chest and looked him gloomily in the eyes. "I am not coming back."

Her words pierced his heart. It felt like someone had knocked the wind right out of his lungs.

"What? Why?"

"My parents decided the last minute that they only wanted me to stay in Canada for a year. We are moving back to Milan…permanently." She cried.

Lucas was heartbroken and speechless.

Just then, a tall, stocky olive skinned man with short, dark hair came up the stairs. He appeared to be in his late forties. Lucas immediately realized who it was. When the man met Lucas's gaze, he smiled and nodded before he called his daughter's name.

"Tatia… dobbiamo ora andare, la nostra carrozza stiamo attendendo."

Tatia turned to the man and nodded. "Sì generi, io sarà giusto basso."

The man smiled cordially again at Lucas and his daughter, grabbed her remaining bags and quietly went downstairs. Tatia turned to Lucas and smiled weakly.

"My father said that the cab is waiting for me outside. I have to go Lucas…it was nice being your science partner." She said as she broke away from him and grabbed her last bag.

A painful, large lump formed in his throat, preventing him from returning an answer.

Suddenly, Tatia turned around and walked back to Lucas, and stood closer to him than ever before. When she lifted her face to look into his saddened, yet shocked eyes, she leaned closer to him.

"Goodbye Lucas. I will miss you." She said. Without any hesitation, she gave him a sweet, lingering kiss on his lips. After a few moments, she slowly turned around and walked down the stairs, never looking back at him.

Lucas was dumbfounded. He'd never thought in a million years that she or _any_ girl for that matter...would be so bold to make a move on him…better yet, kiss him. Tatia cried heavily as she slowly walked down the stairs. Soft sobs could be heard escaping her mouth. Lucas's eyes never left her form until she walked out the door and was now out of sight. He was tempted to call her name, but he hesitated, for he knew that that would make the situation even worse.

During their brief, yet endearing kiss, Lucas wished that they could have become more than friends, but reality soon hit him hard when he looked out the window and saw the yellow cab pull away from the school. "_Damn I should have grabbed her and kissed her again..." _He thought.

As he helplessly watched the cab disappear down the driveway, two familiar voices began calling his name from behind him.

"Lucas! Lucas!" Corrine and Josie shouted in unison.

When he did not turn around, Josie ran behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Lucas…come on let's go. You're still driving, right?"

Lucas slowly turned around and met Josie's eyes. He was too upset to return her an answer. By the saddened look in his eyes, Josie knew that something was wrong.

"Is everything alright, Lucas?"

Lucas sighed and nodded with a halfhearted smile. "Yeah…come on. We'd better go before the talent show starts."

Josie kept a worried eye on him, for she knew that he wasn't telling the truth. "We don't have to get Vaughn. He said that he will meet us there."

Lucas looked at her and nodded. He then walked ahead of his friends and began his descent down the stairs. Josie and Corrine looked at each other confusedly.

"What's wrong with _him_?" Corrine whispered.

"I don't know, but I'll find out once the carnival is over. " Josie replied as they both followed their seemingly depressed friend down the stairs…

* * *

**A/N: So how did you guys like it? It's sad about Tatia. I guessLucas will never get his cahnce at love...or will he? What will happen with Corrine and Marshall and Josie and Vaughn at the carnival? Stay tuned to see what happens! There are about 2 or 3 chapters left in this first part of the fic. Thank you guys for everything! I would also like to personally thank pinktribechic for her encouragement and help! Thanks! I will not take too long to update! Oh, I forgot to mention. I know maybe some of you don't speak Italian (I don't) but I thought that you might like to know what those two sentences mean. The first one means "The cab is outside waiting for us." The second one means "Yes father, I will be right there." So there you have it. I hope that helps!**

**Take care!**


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